THE USE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGIES TO PURCHASE TICKETS IN RAIL TRANSPORT (POLISH EXAMPLE)

The aim of the article is to learn about the behaviors of carriers and passengers in the use of modern technologies in rail transport aimed at selling tickets. This research examines whether passengers use modern technologies when purchasing tickets for rail passenger transport and how they evaluate them. Answers were also sought as to what actions carriers take to meet the requirements of passengers. This article presents the results of research on the supply side regarding the use of remote ticket distribution channels of the largest railway carrier and on the demand side, along with the results of survey research on passenger’s preferences in the use and assessment of railway ticket distribution channels on a nationwide sample (2023, CAWI research, N= 722). As many as 78% of respondents indicated that they use modern technologies, and only 22% said they do not. However, only 42% of passengers purchased tickets using modern technologies. Women statistically significantly more often than men indicated that they never use applications to purchase electronic tickets (45.6% vs 34.9%). This response was also given significantly more often by people who were over 60 years old (58.3%) than by younger respondents. In the case of respondents aged 18–30, this percentage was 28.4%, and in the case of respondents aged between 31 and 60, it was 35.1 %.