Rebooking a train when everything goes wrong

The problem

Wayfare sells rail tickets across Europe. When a journey was disrupted, the app showed a red banner and a phone number. Travelers called, waited, and often stood on a platform watching alternatives sell out while they were on hold.

Disruptions made up 8% of journeys but 60% of calls, and they were the moments people remembered when they rated the app.

Research

I mapped the full disruption journey with customer care leads, then rode along with travelers on two strike days to watch what they actually did. Three things stood out: people needed to know whether to wait or act, they wanted options ranked by what they cared about, like arriving soon or not changing trains, and they needed confidence that the new ticket was really theirs.

Design

• A push alert that tells travelers what happened and what to do next, written with the care team and tested for clarity on a lock screen.
• Alternatives ranked by arrival time, number of changes and seat availability, with the best option already selected.
• One-tap rebooking that holds the seat while the traveler confirms, and a new ticket in the wallet within seconds.
• A calm fallback when nothing is available: an instant refund, or a waiting list for the next train.

I prototyped the flow end to end and tested it on station platforms, at real walking pace, with a phone in one hand and a bag in the other.

Outcome

During the next national strike, 71% of disrupted journeys were rebooked in the app, and calls fell by 52% compared with the strike before. Most travelers rebooked in three taps, and the app’s rating on disruption days rose from 2.6 to 4.3.