Train Ticket Search Engine Rating
Matters for Examination
1. The first chant and second chant
On the first page, after inputing your "From" and "To", you have to click a button to show the search results. The chant on the search button is the "first chant".
After choosing your desired tickets on the second page, you need to proceed to the next page to purchase your tickets by pressing a button. The chant on the button is the "second chant".
2. There are mainly three ways of showing train ticket search results;
a) Vertical Style
b) Horizontal Style
c) Box Style.
The best way among them is Vertical Style, it is the most clear method and cannot be beaten by any other means.
3. The speed of searching train tickets
4. The rate of margin
trainline.com
Vertical Style and the search speed is very quick. The first chant is "get times and tickets" and the second chant is "Next".
However they charge you £1.50 for the booking fee so I don't buy tickets here but I use it to quickly look up train times.
★★☆☆☆
First Great Western
Flickering background irritates me. The first chant is "Find tickets" and the second chant is "Buy Now". The search speed is slow and it adopts the worst Box Style search result display system.
The theme colour pink hurts my eyes. They don't charge any booking fee.
★☆☆☆☆
Great Anglia
Vertical Style and the first chant is "Find train times & fares". The second one is "Next".
The speed of the search engine is just as quick as trainline.
There is no booking fee.
★★★★★
East Coast
East Coast is the only publicly run train operating company. However it adopts the Box Search Result Display system and the search speed is also slow.
The first chant is "Search" and the second chant is "Buy Now".
There is no booking fee.
★★★☆☆
Virgin trains
Horizontal Style and the first chant is "Get times and tickets". The second one is "Next". There is no booking fee.
★★★★☆
EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS
Vertical Style and the first chant is "Search". The second chant is "NEXT". There is no booking fee. It's more simple than any other websites.
★★★★★
First Capital Connect
It has a weird "Plan your journey" visualised itinerary that is not really necessary. It adopts Box Style search results display system. There is no booking fee.
★★☆☆☆
CrossCountry
It adopts Vertical System and the search speed is relatively slow yet tries to show the cheapest possible deals in a fair way. The first chant is "Search" and the second one is "Next". There is no booking fee.
★★★★★
SOUTH WEST TRAINS
The train station automatic finder irritates me with the horrible flickering yellow background colour. Vertical Style search results display system is good. The search speed is ok. There is no booking fee.
★★★☆☆
ScotRail
The first chant is "Find tickets" and the second chant is "buy now".
It adopts Box Style search results display system. There is no booking fee.
★★☆☆☆
SOUTHERN
Box Style and slow search speed.
★☆☆☆☆
Nothern
The first chant "Buy Tickets" sounds as though you have to purchase your tickets on the first page and it can be slightly threatening. It adopts Box Style search results display system which is not very good. There is no booking fee.
★☆☆☆☆
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