TT2 Limited, the operators of the Tyne Tunnels, has announced that the number of pre-paid customer trips through the tunnels has increased by more than 120,000 each month since it introduced a range of service improvements last August.
The pre-paid facility allows customers to top up credit onto their accounts and, using automatic number plate recognition, they are able to drive through the tolls, receiving a 10 per cent discount on each journey.
One of the key improvements was Direct Debit top ups, which was introduced in August 2019, allowing customers to automatically pay a set amount each month to cover their journey costs.
Prior to the service improvements, the number of pre-paid journeys per month was 726,835 and as of January 2020, this had increased to 849,358.
Phil Smith, CEO of TT2 Limited, said: “We had received feedback from our customers asking for a number of service improvements, we are pleased to introduce one of many service improvements planned at the Tunnels during 2019/2020. We’ve welcomed new pre-paid journeys onto our system, increasing by more than 15 percent in just five months.
“At Tyne Tunnels, we’re dedicating a great deal of time to introducing new technology, such as our ANPR system and app, to make things quicker and easier for customers. Our customers have been incredibly positive about the work we’ve done, and we can see by the numbers that it’s been successful so far.
“We are continuously listening to our customers and acting on their feedback to improve services. The Direct Debit system is just the latest example of this and we hope to see the number of customers taking advantage of it grow over the months to come.”
