11.04.17
Digital service to reunite passengers with lost valuables trialled in Wales
Customers pulling their hair out at constantly leaving their valuables on the train may be in luck, as an innovative new system may help them track down their possessions.
The system, FindMyLost, is a digital service which allows passengers and railway staff who find an item to put it online with a description, along with a photo and details of where and when it was found.
In the same way, forgetful passengers can also post a message on the site and find out if their lost item has been reported – before ringing the appropriate lost property department at the station.
The tool even gives users the option to set notifications on their phone so they can know straight away that their lost item is now safe and sound.
At the moment, only passengers in Wales will be able to use the service, but developers hope that success with the pilot will open the door for the system to be rolled out across the network.
“We recognise that reclaiming lost property can be quite stressful for customers, so we are really excited to trial this new system which we hope will really improve the overall experience,” said Barry Lloyd, head of customer experience at Arriva Trains Wales.
And Delphine Merlot, head of innovation & partnerships at the Rail Delivery Group, said: “Lost property is a real bugbear for customers. Losing a personal item is stressful enough without having to go through a complicated process to find it.
“We want customers to test this innovative technology with us. FindMyLost is simple and can save a lot of time and trouble, a quick and easy ‘self-service’ way for customers to search for and claim what they’ve lost.”
The beginning of the trial is yet more good news for particularly forgetful customers, as RTM also reported last month that passengers would be refunded for any fines they had to pay for forgetting their rail card the first time it happened in the year.
Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become an RTM columnist? If so, click here.