Train operator for the East of England, Greater Anglia, has scooped the Digital & Technology Idea of the Year award at the ideasUK conference for its innovative Live Alternative Route Map tool. The awards were hosted last month by ideasUK, and acknowledge employees who have submitted groundbreaking ideas that have made a real contribution to business success.

The Digital & Technology category comprises of ideas that make an improvement by using digital technology or media.

The tool, which was spearheaded by Greater Anglia’s Customer Experience team, provides passengers with a real-time online map that details live train and alternative route travel information in a visual, interactive way during periods of disruption. The Greater Anglia Live Alternative Route Map brings together real-time data from a variety of sources, including local bus routes, bus stop information, and routes using alternative train operators. When a rail replacement bus service is provided during disruption or engineering works, these details are also provided within the Live Alternative Route Map.

The live map also presents station details and accessible information, enhancing the customer experience and providing reassurance to passengers who may be travelling to a station they have never previously visited.

The map was launched in June 2023 in response to insight which showed that passengers were already being given information about how disruption would affect their journey yet were not provided with viable alternative travel options. Further enhancements and features are also planned that will further enhance the customer experience.

In addition to the live data, the map also provides a calendar feature. This feature allows passengers to skip forward to a future date and see if there are any engineering works planned.

Martin Moran, Greater Anglia’s Greater Anglia’s Commercial and Customer Services Director, said: “The Live Alternative Route Map is a one stop shop that provides passengers and Greater Anglia employees with real-time data that gives up-to-date alternative rail routes, bus times, and bus stop locations during times of disruption.

“This excellent award is a tribute to our team which consistently works to improve the overall customer experience when passengers travel with Greater Anglia.”

Greater Anglia also won runner-up awards in both the Customer Focus and Design categories at the ideasUK conference.

Greater Anglia’s new ‘Customers First in Disruption’ process (CFID) was awarded runner-up in the Customer Focus category, an award that recognises ideas which provide consistent high levels of customer satisfaction.  The CFID process is an internal review procedure to evaluate how Greater Anglia dealt with disruption from the point of view of our customers. The scheme looks into our information provision and how we looked after passengers during periods of significant disruption. The process also establishes processes that Greater Anglia can adopt to improve the customer experience in the future.

In addition, Greater Anglia’s ‘Found It’ lost property online submission tool won runner-up in the Design category that acknowledges ideas that demonstrate a particular focus and plan to achieve a solution. The ‘Found It’ tool helps to reunite passengers with their lost property. The online form gives passengers the opportunity to log lost items and any distinguishing features. Greater Anglia staff can also register found items within the database and any matches are then processed and items are returned. Since its launch in 2023, the online submission tool has helped to reunite almost 6,000 items of lost property with their owners.

Greater Anglia is consistently looking at ways it can improve and welcomes all feedback via our We’re All Ears survey.