Avanti West Coast has announced that it is extending its reduced-priced Superfare ticket to more locations.
During the trial period earlier this year, over six thousand passengers used the fare on the Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Preston and Glasgow routes.
The operator is now allowing passengers to buy Superfare tickets for travel between London and ten more destinations in the North West of England: Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, Crewe, Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Stockport, Runcorn, Wigan North Western, Warrington Bank Quay and Lancaster.
The Superfare ticket allows passengers to book in advance for a specific date, choosing morning, afternoon or evening slots, with the operator notifying the passenger the time of the particular train they will travel on. Avanti will allocate the passenger a seat and advise them of the reservation details and departure time around twenty-four hours before they travel.
The new Superfare tickets are on sale from today (25 July) for travel from 1 August, with passengers able to make bookings at least seven days and up to twenty-one days before travel.
Prices range between £12 and £30 depending on the destination. The number of Superfare tickets available on a route each day will vary.
A survey found that two-thirds of Superfare ticket holders would not have travelled or would have travelled by a different mode of transport had the fare not been available. 93% reported that they found it easy to book a Superfare ticket, and 88% said they would be likely to book Superfare again in the future.
In a separate move, Avanti West Coast is working with Seatfrog to offer passengers on its Liverpool route the chance to bid for Standard Premium upgrades for £18, a seven-pound reduction on the normal price of £25.
Passengers with a Standard ticket will be able to bid for the upgrade via the Seatfrog app. If successful, they will be notified via their device before their train departs..
Sarah Copley, Commercial Director at Avanti West Coast said: “Our customers have really taken to the new Superfare ticket. It's innovative, low cost and most importantly, encouraging more people to take the train, so we're delighted to extend the Superfare ticket benefits to ten new destinations.”
