WESTbahn was among the first private railroad companies to start operations after the liberalization of rail transport in the EU. The Austrian provider’s modern double-decker trains have been running between Vienna and Salzburg since 2011, with a connection to Munich being added in 2022. The company focuses on providing excellent service: on-time schedules, comfortable trains, and friendly conductors. Unzer’s payment solution ensures customers enjoy a smooth checkout in WESTbahn’s online ticket shop.

Travelers want to book tickets quickly and easily

The mobility industry is evolving rapidly. Shared mobility offerings for cars, scooters, e-scooters, bikes, and apps like Uber are changing expectations when it comes to booking and paying for mobility services. Everything has to be quick and easy, preferably with just a few taps of the finger. Travelers often book rail tickets on the go on their smartphones, with no need to fire up their home computers. These days, buying train tickets needs to be a simple process that the customer can do from anywhere without facing any hassle. Because the perfect mobility experience starts with booking. WESTbahn was looking for a payment provider that could meet these customer needs. Another requirement: The checkout solution should be one that could be expanded quickly if necessary – and without a lot of red tape and technical effort. After all, as an ambitious, fast-growing company, WESTbahn wants to be able to adapt its offering to new target groups and markets at any time.

We score with service and speed. Passengers on our trains travel from Vienna to Munich in just 3 hours 49 minutes. That is the fastest connection on this route.

Thomas Posch, CEO WESTbahn Management GmbH

From a band-aid solution to a customized payment page

When WESTbahn’s previous payment provider discontinued its service, the rail company needed a solution that could be up and running quickly. WESTbahn decided to use Unzer’s Hosted Payment Page. This end-to-end solution let the company offer all the most popular payment options in its ticket shop without needing to invest a great deal of time and developer resources. To pay for tickets, customers were redirected from the WESTbahn ticket shop to a secure payment page hosted by Unzer.

Next, WESTbahn decided to switch to a payment page tailored to its own corporate design. This type of integration allows merchants to integrate Unzer’s payment forms directly into their online shop and customize them using our UI components. As a result, customers now enjoy an even more seamless checkout experience, boosting trust in the private railway company’s brand.

Working with Unzer was straightforward from day one. We’ve always got constructive answers to all our questions and requests. Today, we have a payment solution that we are completely satisfied with.

Benjamin Zagel, project manager for innovation and digitisation at infra fürth unternehmensgruppe

The journey can continue!

Today, customers can pay in the WESTbahn online ticket shop by credit card, EPS (an Austrian online payment system), and Sofortüberweisung (a direct transfer process). Thanks to the right payment mix and a simple checkout process, WESTbahn was able to improve the conversion rate in their online shop, minimizing the number of abandoned shopping baskets. What’s more, the customized risk strategy ensures top acceptance rates and effectively prevents cases of fraud.

With Unzer as its payment partner, WESTbahn believes it is well equipped for the future. The Unzer Merchant Dashboard provides the company with reports and insights on all processed transactions. This allows CEO Thomas Posch and his team to react quickly to developments and adapt the payment solution to changing requirements (target groups, markets, etc.).

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