Ministers are expanding trials of a digital rail ticketing app that uses GPS technology to combat fare evasion, a practice that costs the rail industry an estimated £400 million per year. The expansion will allow an unlimited number of passengers to sign up for the trial.
The digital pay-as-you-go ticket technology is currently being tested on select routes in the East Midlands and Yorkshire, including lines connecting Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Harrogate, Leeds, Sheffield, and Doncaster. The app functions by tracking a passenger's location to check them in at the start and end of their journey, a feature particularly useful for stations without ticket barriers.
Once a journey is completed, the cost is automatically calculated and charged to the passenger's bank card. Transport officials hope this system will also help prevent ‘short-faring,’ where individuals purchase a ticket for only a portion of their journey, and ‘doughnutting,’ where tickets are bought for the beginning and end segments but not the middle.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stated that the app aims to tackle "illegal and selfish" fare dodgers and that the GPS technology is intended to prevent dishonest ticket purchases and ensure passengers do not overpay. "This ticketing development is just one example of how we're modernising our railways and putting passengers first as we set up Great British Railways (GBR), making journeys easier and more convenient," Alexander said.
The trials are occurring in the context of the gradual re-nationalisation of the rail network, with operators set to be managed by GBR, intended to provide a unified management approach. South Western Railway was the first operator to return to state control in May, with CrossCountry expected to be the last in Autumn 2027.
The app incorporates safeguarding features such as post-journey manual inspection reviews to identify suspicious activity and monitors phone battery life to verify genuine user errors. Jen Fulford of Trainline, a partner in the trial, noted that the digital pay-as-you-go system has been positively received by over 1,500 participants in the East Midlands, contributing to key railway objectives.
In addition to the app, previous measures to combat fare evasion have included the installation of ticket barriers at a cost of £33 million to prevent them from being jumped over.