Last Friday (20 August), Guildford-based transport operator Safeguard Coaches went live on a new app in partnership with public transport app and website provider Passenger, a company founded six years ago in Bournemouth.
The app – myTrip – will allow passengers to purchase tickets for bus routes in Surrey and Hampshire using cashless options, as well as view real-time information on bus locations.
James Vallance, Commercial Manager at Safeguard Coaches, commented: "Our company has been serving Surrey and Hampshire for 97 years. (...) We needed to modernise our systems and myTrip presented the perfect opportunity to allow us to do so."
Safeguard Coaches is the 50th transport operator onboarded by Passenger to the myTrip app, which was first launched in October 2020 to help smaller UK bus operators support safe social distancing and transform their services to accommodate rapidly changing customer needs. This year, its ongoing operator onboarding has coincided with the launch of many bus improvement plans across the country, which form a mandatory part of the government’s National Bus Strategy.
Other transport operators that have adopted the Passenger myTrip app include Stephensons Coaches (Essex-based), Powell's (transport services across South Yorkshire; part of HCT Group) or Sanders Coaches (family-owned company in North Norfolk). Passenger has also launched apps for the Go-Ahead Group bus operator which owns among others the Oxford Bus Company and Go South Coast.
Tom Quay, CEO at Passenger, commented: “We’re delighted to support Safeguard Coaches in their mission to inspire more people to opt for public transport over their cars – driving our nation towards the same goal that underpins the National Bus Strategy. We believe that all bus operators, no matter what their size, should have access to innovative solutions which bring their services up to date and allow them to cater to their customer’s needs – including an ever-increasing adoption of technology."
About Safeguard Coaches
Safeguard Coaches is a family-owned business in Surrey and has operated from a base in Guildford for over 95 years. The company has a turnover of £3,65 million in 2019 and has 70 employees.
About Passenger
Based in Bournemouth, Passenger delivers scalable digital technology to public transport operators. This includes mobile app ticketing, travel information apps, data feeds, websites, and voice technology.
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