New online tool could save YOU thousands to travel by train by working out if a slightly different route or time would be cheaper 

  • Ticketclever.com, a new UK rail travel booking site, uses an algorithm to compute hundreds of millions of fare and route combinations
  • The site saves riders up to  60 per cent on journeys across the UK
  • The top savings were found on rail journeys that are more than an hour long 
  • The website shows options for each journey so they can see where savings can be made if they leave earlier, later or take a different route

By KELLY MCLAUGHLIN FOR MAILONLINE

Published: | Updated:

A new algorithm for split train tickets has been created in hopes of saving riders £40million a year on 95million rail journeys in Britain.

Ticketclever.com, a new UK rail travel booking site, uses an algorithm to compute hundreds of millions of fare and route combinations to save riders up to 60 per cent on journeys.

The top savings were found on rail journeys that are more than an hour long.

Examples include Manchester to London for £73.80, saving £95.20 (56 per cent) on the normal price; and Leeds to London for £54.30, saving £50.90 (50 per cent) on the normal price. 

Ticketclever.com, a new UK rail travel booking site, uses an algorithm to compute hundreds of millions of fare and route combinations to save riders up to 60 per cent on journeys

Ticketclever.com, a new UK rail travel booking site, uses an algorithm to compute hundreds of millions of fare and route combinations to save riders up to 60 per cent on journeys

The website shows options for each journey so they can see where savings can be made if they leave earlier, later or take a different route

The website shows options for each journey so they can see where savings can be made if they leave earlier, later or take a different route

TICKETCLEVER'S BIGGEST SAVINGS FOR HOUR+ JOURNEYS 

Manchester to London Euston - £73.80, saving £95.20 (56%) on the peak £169 adult single

Leeds to London Kings Cross - £54.30, saving £50.90 (50%) on the off-peak £105.20 adult single

Liverpool to London Euston - £52.70, saving £30.20 (36%) on the off-peak £82.90 adult single

Glasgow to Leicester - £86.20, saving £34.80 (29%) on the off-peak £121.00 adult single

Birmingham to Norwich – £67.40, saving £76.90 (34%) on the off-peak £101.50 adult single

Newcastle to Leeds - £42.00, saving £16.40 (28%) on the off-peak £58.40 adult return

Oxford to Manchester – £135.40, saving £37.60 (22%) on peak £173.00 adult return 

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'It is our mission to put rail travellers first, by making it easy to find and book cheap train fares using our clever algorithm,' explained Jeremy Acklam, CEO of ticketclever.

He added: 'In an era where the price of train travel is under scrutiny, it's frustrating that getting the best deal on UK train journeys isn't straightforward.

'With so many fare combinations for each journey, it's very difficult for passengers to be certain they have a good deal.

'At ticketclever we want to make rail travel simpler by transforming the process of finding and buying tickets, so it is more transparent.'

The top savings on the new site were found on rail journeys that are more than an hour long

The top savings on the new site were found on rail journeys that are more than an hour long

BEST WAYS TO SAVE ON TICKETS

Split ticketing: Breaking your journey into segments and buying separate tickets for each part can cost less then buying end-to-end tickets.

Group Save: Some train companies offer group train tickets for groups of between three and nine people traveling together.

Railcards: Railcards - usually offered to people under 25, over 60, people who are disabled or traveling as a family - can help travellers save up to 1/3 on tickets.

Off-peak travel: Traveling between 10am and 4.30pm can dramatically lower the price of rail tickets.

Two singles: Sometimes buying two singles is cheaper than buying a return ticket.

Child fares: Children under five travel for free as long as they don't take up a seat, and many train operators offer discounts for children between five and 15 years old.

Advance purchase travel: Train companies usually release fares 90 days in advance, so travellers can check prices daily to see when ticket prices are released and changed.

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The practice is within the train operating companies' terms and conditions, but is not advertised by rail firms – the emphasis is on the user to work out how to find the best deal. 

The website, with the help of Oxford-based mathematicians and computer scientists, calculates the biggest savings for customers and shows dozens of options. 

Website users can see where savings can be made if they leave earlier, later or take a different route.

Savings can also be made through splitting journeys or adding another stop - and ticketclever looks at all of these options for its users.

Compared to using a kiosk at the station, website users can see where savings can be made if they leave earlier, later or take a different route (file photo)

Compared to using a kiosk at the station, website users can see where savings can be made if they leave earlier, later or take a different route (file photo)

If a journey spans peak and off-peak times, the website will calculate if using multiple tickets would lead to more savings.

The site gives travelers four options for searching for tickets: Be clever, be frugal, be quick and be flexible.

Be Clever filters tickets by price and speed. Be frugal filters only by price, while Be quick filters by speed.

The fourth option, Be flexible, shows users the walk-up fares of tickets for the journey. 

Additionally, Ticketclever, created by a privately funded UK startup, does not charge booking or payment card fees.

The website is accredited by the National Rail to sell tickets.

 

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