Travel companies call for clear separation of Great British Railways’ ticket sales activities

UK: The Online Travel UK trade association has called for clear separation of operational and retail functions at the future Great British Railways, including legislative safeguards to ensure that third-party retailers have equal access to all ticketing products and services.

OTUK published its The value of online travel companies in the UK: supporting consumers, growth and innovation white paper in September, arguing that the government needs to change outdated regulations, promote fair competition and remove barriers to innovation in the rail, air, package holiday and accommodation sectors.

A ‘complicated’ sector 

OTUK describes rail as a ‘complicated’ sector where it can be difficult for consumers to compare options. It calls for all retailers to have equal access to fares, features, products and data, with independent oversight to ensure a level playing field.

OTUK is concerned about the proposals for Great British Railways to compete in the ticket retailing market while also controlling access to critical data and information. OTUK says legislative measures must be established to remove the risk of actual or perceived bias towards GBR’s own retail operations.

It also says all independent rail retailers should be able to process delay compensation applications, rather than being required to point their customers to a third party in order to make a claim.

Learn from other markets

OTUK says it ‘supports the ambition to modernise ticketing and improve outcomes for passengers’, but ‘it is important the proposals do not create imbalances that could undermine a fair and competitive market.’

It says is ‘vital’ to learn from markets where dominant players have restricted choice and competition, to avoid repeating mistakes in the rail market.