Ticketless train tap tech trial used by thousands

Rail passengers on two routes in Yorkshire have made more than 30,000 journeys using a ticketless system as part of a trial, operator Northern has said.

The system became available on the route between Leeds and Harrogate in September and was extended to trains between Sheffield and Doncaster in November.

A smartphone app uses GPS to track journeys and charge users the best fare on the day, Northern said.

Commercial and customer director Alex Hornby said the technology represented "the future of ticketing".

"We've been receiving a lot of promising feedback so far, with high app review scores and many saying it makes travelling by train easier and more straightforward."

He said more than 3,200 passengers had used the app on the two routes in Yorkshire.

The technology is also being tested on some trains in the East Midlands, but a planned trial for services between Sheffield and Barnsley was postponed.

When passengers start their journey in the mobile app, a barcode is generated which they can scan at ticket barriers and during inspections on trains.

They tap "end journey" when they reach their destination, before the system then charges them for their ticket.

It won't allow passengers to spend more than £12.80 in one day, with passengers hitting the daily cap on the Leeds-Harrogate route more than 150 times.

The digital pay as you go (DPAYG) technology was tested in Switzerland, Denmark and Scotland before being introduced in England.

Northern said its use would be expanded as part of the government's creation of Great British Railways.

It would "make rail travel simpler by reforming fares and modernising ticketing," Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said.

Northern said passengers could continue to sign up to the trial, with £15 in journey credit given to those who take part.

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