Personalised services for women, safety and technology for men
– our Valentine’s day special
As we are about to close our High Speed Rail online survey at the end of the month, it is about time to look at what preferences have been expressed by women and by men.
First of all, we tend to agree on the following: the majority of us, men and women together (57%) would like to reserve connecting railways and other modes of transport to get us to our destination in advance of our trip. And 45% of us expect railways to know our total travel itinerary (e.g. connecting flights, hotel accommodation, car rental). Inter-modality is becoming a key factor when travelling by train.
Once on the train though, we have clear differences in expectations. Women want some level of personalisation not necessarily required by men.
55% of women want rail providers to know about their preferred seat position and location in the train. 39% of them want rail providers to know their health and well-being requirements and 30% their dietary requirements.
The vast majority of women (73%) would also be more likely to catch a high speed international train rather than drive or fly if rail providers offered a baggage handling service similar to airlines and 54% if it was a more enjoyable and comfortable experience (e.g. more on board services available).
Men would expect a VIP lounge facility available at international rail stations in the next three years (23%) and would like rail providers to know their technology preferences for 39% of them. And 22% of men are more likely to catch a train to their destination if there were fewer security requirements than air travel.
This is a snapshot of the survey we ran in July with You Gov. You can still contribute to the debate with our extended online survey. Fill it in before the 29th of February for a chance to win an iPad2.
By the way, so far only two fifths of the online respondents are women, so ladies, please keep going!
Thanks to all of you who have participated!
