Ticketclever

Ticketclever
IndustryTravel
Founded2016
HeadquartersOxford, England
Number of locations
3 (Oxford, London, Cape Town)
Area served
United Kingdom
Key people
Jeremy Acklam (CEO)
ServicesTrain tickets
OwnerGlobal Travel Ventures
Websitewww.ticketclever.com

Ticketclever (styled as ticketclever) was an online retail website/online shopping organisation for train tickets for services in the United Kingdom. Ticketclever was known for creating an algorithm that was used to sort numerous ticket combinations from many different route combinations and to package them together for a given journey.[1]

Ticketclever was based in Oxford with offices in London and Cape Town, South Africa.[2]

History

Global Travel Ventures Ltd. (GTV) developed TicketClever (initially called FareMaster) in 2014. Ticketclever was launched in January 2017.[3] Jeremy Acklam, previously from Trainline was the co-founder and CEO. In March 2017, ticketclever announced they were partnering with the charity St John Ambulance, to donate an amount to the charity once people purchase a train ticket. GTV sold a 20% stake in the company to train operating company Stagecoach Group in June 2017.[4]

Algorithm

Ticketclever tried to use analytics and data science to try and find the lowest price.[5] Ticket clever employed three Oxford University alumni, two with Doctor of Philosophy in Particle Physics, one with a Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Science to create an algorithm that filters data sets from the Rail Delivery Group, which represent 25 train operating companies in Great Britain that are responsible for running trains and setting the price of the fares. Ticketclever used this algorithm to find multi-ticket fare deals on Great Britain's railway network. [citation needed]

Refunds

Ticketclever was able to issue refunds in accordance with the National Rail Conditions of Travel, if the circumstances allowed for a refund. The eligibility to change or cancel tickets varied depending on the type of ticket purchased.[6] Companies could choose to charge an administration fee of up to £10 according to the National Rail Conditions of Carriage for refunds.[7]

References

  1. ^ "ticketclever the way to put rail fares back on track". The Guardian. 4 February 2017.
  2. ^ "ticketclever offices". Globaltravelventures. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  3. ^ Check this fare-splitting website before you buy a ticket Metro 31 January 2017
  4. ^ Annual report for the year ended 29 April 2017 Stagecoach Group
  5. ^ May, Kevin (17 March 2017). "ticketclever gets smart with train travel". Phocuswire.
  6. ^ "Ticketclever - Under Maintenance". www.ticketclever.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  7. ^ "National Rail Conditions of Carriage 1st October 2016" (PDF).