Smart Network, Smarter Choices Travel Discounts for your business

Transcription

1 Smart Network, Smarter Choices Travel Discounts for your business All you need to know

2 What is the Corporate Travel scheme? It is an annual ticket loan scheme which enables a business to purchase discounted annual travelcards for their staff. Staff pay for these tickets over a period of 12 months with a set deduction taken from their salary each month. Centro s Corporate Travel Scheme (the Scheme ) can be used for bus, train and Metro travel throughout the West Midlands and beyond. Joining the Scheme is free and every permanent member of staff on your payroll will be entitled to low cost travel using an annual ticket of their choice. Benefits to your organisation For you, the Scheme represents; an attractive recruitment and retention tool in a competitive market place, placing you above your competitors as an employer of choice Opportunity to alleviate over stretched car parking facilities and traffic congestion near your premises Demonstration of commitment to green travel initiatives. Benefits to your employees Savings can be made on the cost of an annual ticket spread over 12 months compared to the cost of purchasing through a retail outlet Save time and hassle of queuing to buy daily, weekly or monthly tickets as the annual pass is valid for travel all day, every day. Any members of staff who already have a monthly travel pass, will receive a full refund for any overlapping weeks after the start date of their new annual season ticket Tickets can be used at weekends and in the evenings for social and leisure purposes Share the savings and flexibility with the Friends and Family Fare

3 Free membership of NetworkClub, which gives discounts and special offers with local retailers and leisure facilities Any lost or stolen Centro cards are replaced easily and quickly, however an administration fee may apply. What types of ticket are available in this scheme? Tickets are available for; train offers unlimited use of all train services within the selected rail zones Out of County unlimited travel by rail from the chosen station plus all train services across all the West Midlands rail zones bus which offers the flexibility to use all bus services, all day network for combined train, bus and Metro travel. How much will my employees save? Staff will receive the following annual discounts by being part of this scheme; 5% off bus, network travel cards 2.5% off train travelcards A discount of 10% off the full annual ticket cost valid for two years may also be available to staff who have never previously travelled by public transport who surrender a named/ allocated free car park space at work to travel by public transport. This discount is subject to eligibility criteria and the discretion of Centro and full details are available on request.

4 Stou If the Corporate travel ticket schemes are not for you, there is another option... Monthly Direct Debit tickets are a convenient alternative option which can still save your employees money. Staff can apply online to join the Direct Debit Scheme or we can provide you with leaflets and application forms to deliver to your staff. This means there are no upfront costs for you but staff can still benefit from flexible, affordable travel with the same ticket options available for bus, train and Metro. Chester, Mid Wales Shrewsbury Wellington Oakengates Telford Central Shifnal Cosfor Albrig W The Direct Debit ticket scheme is particularly beneficial to staff if they are temporary, contactors or seasonal staff. Visit the networkwestmidlands.co.uk or speak to your Centro representative for more information about our Direct Debit schemes. 5 Merry Hill Centre Stou Bridgnorth SEVERN VALLEY STE D Timetables colour-coded for Network West Midlands served routes and stations Other train services Routes and stations with limited service Midland Metro tram stops* rincipal interchange stations Bus links Network West Midlands area Rail fare zones where network * and train tickets are valid train zones 1-5 tickets are valid in this area * network tickets for zones 1 and 1-2 are not valid on Metro Network West Midlands free car parking Other car parking Step-free access Airport interchange NEC National Exhibition Centre Copyright Centro roduced by Worcester Foregate Malvern Link Great Malvern Colwall Ledbury Hereford South Wales

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6 Eligibility criteria To be able to take part in the scheme, your company must be able to meet the following criteria; at least 20 members of staff must be committed to buying an annual ticket through the scheme the employer is committed to paying for all annual tickets up front and recouping the cost via employee salary deduction. Sucessful completion of financial checks How the scheme works Step 1: Understanding the needs of your business Gain an understanding of the level of interest within your organisation. This leaflet will help you to promote the scheme, and you can contact Centro for any additional support. Step 2: Confirming your interest Contact the team directly to confirm your interest. We will then be in touch to arrange a face to face meeting. Step 3: Meeting A face to face meeting between a representative of the Centro, and/ or National Express team and your organisation (we suggest a member of your HR and Finance teams are present at this meeting) will take place to discuss the scheme and application process with you and to help answer any questions you may have. Step 4: Application form completion Complete an application form for the scheme including confirmation of company information and provision of financial information. Step 5: Information and ticket issuing session Once your application is approved, the Centro and/or National express team will be in touch to arrange a date for issuing your tickets and a staff information session to assist your staff with using their new tickets. Step 6: Continuing support Once your Scheme is set up, you can contact Centro and/or National Express with any queries. New tickets can be issued yearly or quarterly.

7 Testimonials The customer service that Centro offer around this process is in my opinion first rate, friendly, professional, and very responsive. In my role as a Local Travel plan Coordinator I have responsibility to promote sustainable travel to over 600 Highways Agency staff located in The Cube building in Central Birmingham. To date there are 100 plus Highways Agency staff on site who have obtained a season ticket through the Centro Corporate Discount Scheme. Throughout 2013 I aim to increase the number of people choosing to use public transport to get to work and Centro is key to the public transport options available. Alex Wisely, Highways Agency Our staff find the convenience of the scheme very useful, saving them time and reduced stress and hassle in having to regularly purchase tickets. The season ticket also provides them with the freedom to catch different trains at different times. The current rates are also very competitive and as they are fixed for the year, this has helped avoid fare increases. Our staff have already recommended the scheme to friends and family and have greatly benefited from being part of the scheme. West Midlands olice has been running a corporate travelcard scheme for over 20 years. Over 500 members of staff now take advantage of purchasing their travel tickets through the corporate scheme. Benefits of joining the scheme include, a discount off the standard annual ticket price which on average means employees save 140 per year making it a real employment benefit. Additionally, the access to the dedicated customer service and sales team at Centro is a great benefit. The team has always been accommodating with issues, such as part year tickets, changing ticket type where travel needs have changed and providing out of county travelcards. On behalf of the finance department, West Midlands olice Jayne Shearer, Law Society

8 Frequently Asked Questions How much will it cost staff per month? This will depend on the type of ticket they choose and how far they are travelling. Annual tickets offer the best value for money and cheapest ticket option. An additional 2.5% discount is offered on all rail only annual tickets and an additional 5% discount on all network tickets. What tickets are available? bus - a super flexible bus only ticket which offers unlimited use of over 35 operator services anywhere across the Network West Midlands area. The area has recently been extended to include Rubery, Hollywood, Wythall, Codsall, and Wombourne. Full details at newtorkwestmidlands.com network a combined bus, rail and Metro ticket. This offers unlimited travel and great flexibility and convenience and is priced according the rail zones required. train unlimited rail travel on all operator services within the specified zones. First class and re 9.30 tickets are also available. train Out of County unlimited rail travel on all operator services from a specified out of county station and across all five West Midlands rail zones. How much will we have to pay upfront? The full cost of all tickets issued to your employees. A urchase Order number must be supplied before any tickets can be issued, otherwise payment will be requested in advance of tickets being issued. When do we have to pay you? Our standard payment terms are 28 days of the date of the invoice. How do we pay you? By BACS or by cheque made payable to Centro.

9 If prices go up for the annual ticket, will the ticket cost increase too? The cost of current tickets will not be affected; this is an advantage of this scheme as this means the price of the annual ticket stays the same for the validity of the ticket. We will inform you of any change to prices and send you updated price lists at least a month in advance of any price increase. Fares usually rise annually at the beginning of January. How quickly can you provide staff with tickets? You must give a minimum of 7 working days notice. lease note, tickets will only be issued on dates agreed with Centro. ro rata tickets may be available, however all tickets are issued at the sole discretion of Centro. How are tickets sent to/ distributed to staff? Tickets and paperwork will be sent by Special Delivery to the company co-ordinator with full issuing instructions. If demand is high a member of the Ticketing Team may be able to attend at a set time and date and issue tickets to staff. What happens if a staff member forgets their ticket can they get a refund for the new ticket they have had to buy? Refunds are only available for rail tickets. One refund in any 12 months can be submitted to the train operator for a refund. The ticket purchased and a copy of the annual ticket must be supplied.

10 Can staff cancel their ticket at any time? Yes. Tickets MUST be handed into the company co-ordinator or sent with a covering letter to Centro. All tickets returned must be sent by Recorded Delivery. Refunds on surrendered tickets cannot be processed without a valid ticket. An administration fee may be charged on refunds. When a ticket is surrendered before the expiry date, payroll should be instructed to stop salary deductions. What if staff leave before the end of 1 year? It is the employers responsibility to either; deduct from final salary any outstanding payments for the travel ticket and the ticket holder can then continue to use the ticket, or submit it to the issuing company for a refund collect the ticket from the employee before they leave their employment and send the ticket to the issuing company for a refund in the usual way. What happens when new staff join the company? Can they join the scheme? Tickets can be issued at 3 month intervals or pro rata tickets can be issued for between 4 and 12 months. This will keep expiry dates in line with other tickets issued and offers new staff the opportunity to join the Scheme or change their ticket type. Is there a lot of administration involved in running the scheme? No. We can supply most information electronically for you to send to staff by . The employer will need to capture the names and type of tickets staff request and send these to the issuing company and provide In House application forms to staff to authorise salary deductions. Communication to staff of dates, times and the location of ticket issues is also the responsibility of the company co-ordinator.

11 Can I as a business, offer any additional discount on top of the Corporate Sales discount? Yes, but any additional discount you offer will be classified as a tax deductable benefit. No tax is payable if the employee repays the full cost of the annual ticket over a 12 month period. What do we do if staff have lots of questions about the scheme? Note these and forward onto the Smarter Choices team. Should you have a high level of interest, an Information Session can be arranged for your staff.

12 lease contact the Sustainable Travel team at Centro if you would like more information; Call: networkwestmidlands.com For all public transport information visit; networkwestmidlands.com or telephone Travelline for bus and Metro information, and National Rail Enquiries on for rail information. Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras.