Irish state-owned company Bus Éireann has signed a contract to upgrade its Expressway reservation and ticketing system with Estonian travel technology company Turnit. Altogether 17 companies participated in the international public procurement.
Bus Éireann is an Irish commercial semi-state transport company with over 2,700 employees and 850 fleet. In 2019 Bus Éireann provided 89m customer journeys across three product areas - public service obligation routes, school transport and commercial services operating under the Expressway brand. The Turnit reservation system will be introduced on the Expressway brand, Ireland’s largest coach operator, across 18 inter-city domestic and international routes. The new system will be rolled out by the end of 2020.
Andres Osula, CEO of Turnit, said he’s proud to have been awarded to work with such a distinguished organization like Bus Éireann. “Contracting such a renowned transportation company serves as an invaluable reference. It’s another clear proof of our platform’s maturity and value for professional intercity bus operators” he added.
Eleanor Farrell, Chief Commercial Officer of Bus Éireann, said “We are delighted to be working with Turnit to develop a new reservation and ticketing solution for Expressway. Partnering with Turnit will allow Expressway to compete more effectively within the market and will also improve customer experience with a simpler more effective method of purchasing tickets and other operational benefits including faster boarding times.”
After deployment, all Expressway tickets will be sold through Turnit platform. “This was a public procurement and according to the contract Turnit will be responsible for both the localization and deployment of the off-the-shelf software. As a strategic partner, we are also responsible for hosting the solution in our SaaS cloud environment and for the entire life cycle of the system,” Osula explained.
According to Turnit, the deal with the Irish company is part of an on-going ambitious expansion plan to global markets. "We will soon be able to announce next exciting international cooperation projects to expand our operations," he said.
About Turnit
Turnit is a travel technology company developing the world's leading off-the-shelf reservation & inventory management platform for the ground-based travel industry. Its solutions enable intercity bus and coach operators to maximize revenue, streamline business processes and popularize the use of shared transportation. Turnit Ride platform, delivered as full service, processes more than 20 million seat reservations annually and its services are used by over 40 operators across the world, including industry leaders like Transdev, Lux Express, CTM, Bus Éireann and Vy Group.
About Bus Éireann
Founded in 1987, with a history stretching back to the foundation of the Irish State, Bus Éireann has over 2,700 employees. With a fleet of over 850 offering 18 inter-city coach routes, over 220 public service obligation routes and almost 7,000 school transport routes, Bus Éireann connects communities all over Ireland. Bus Éireann is committed to delivering a consistently excellent customer experience through the dedication and skill of their people, while ensuring that they remain competitive. By 2023, their goal is to be the most customer-centred and sustainable transport company in Ireland, with services provided by people who believe in Bus Éireann as a great place to work.
