Ticketless rail travel trial extends in Yorkshire

A trial to remove the need for rail passengers to buy tickets has been extended in Yorkshire.

The pay-as-you-go digital system was introduced for an initial 2,000 passengers on Northern services in 2025.

It uses GPS to track journeys via a phone app that calculates the cheapest rail fare without passengers having to physically check in and out, or buy a ticket in advance.

Now, the cap on the number of passengers able to take part has been lifted until September 2027.

The app is available for passengers on two Northern services, between Leeds and Harrogate, and Doncaster and Sheffield.

The Department for Transport said 30,000 journeys on these routes had benefited from Digital Pay As You Go so far.

A trial in the East Midlands has also launched, for services from Leicester to Nottingham via Derby.

The trial extension means all passengers using the two participating services can join by downloading the app from the Northern website and linking their bank cards.

For ticket inspections and to go through ticket barriers, a unique QR code will appear.

When the journey ends, passengers will be charged the "best value" fare available.

Customers can also add their rail cards to the app.

By 2027, the new ticketing scheme is expected to be available at more than 100 extra stations across Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the South East.

The new system promises what is said to be the best value fares, but passengers may be sceptical because they cannot see prices before their journey.

BBC Yorkshire's Seb Cheer went to Harrogate Station to compare prices on the pay-as-you-go app to the ticket office and TrainPal.

He added a railcard to all three journeys for the 17:20 BST train. On TrainPal, he looked at tickets a day in advance.

At the ticket office, an anytime day single cost £5.95. On TrainPal for the same train the following day, it cost £4.10.

A peak single on the new pay-as-you-go app cost £3.45.

John, waiting for a train at Harrogate station, said he had started using the pay-as-you-go app.

"It works fine for me, I can't complain. It's straightforward to use and if I can use it, most people can," the 64-year-old said.

"It saves me messing around using ticket machines. It's just quicker and more convenient."

Using the service about two or three times a week, John added he had not noticed paying less money but said he still used it for the convenience.

Mark, 70, said he usually bought his train tickets directly from the operator via an app.

He said he had not yet tried the pay-as-you-go system, but would be curious to try it.

"London has similar systems and it works really well, so I'd be enthusiastic about that," he said.

"I tend to use the LNER app most of the time, which is reasonably simple, but the tap in, tap out sounds like quite a good idea - as long as you're not getting tickets that are more expensive."

Silviya Barrett, from Campaign for Better Transport, said: "Making public transport easier to use is one of the most effective ways to attract more people on board.

"Expanding Digital Pay As You Go is a welcome step towards a simpler, more seamless railway, making it easier for passengers to get the best fare without navigating a complex ticketing system."

However, rail expert Sim Harris, from Railnews, feared it would "divide people into two classes".

"The majority who have mobile phones are willing to download an app and can get on with it, and the minority who possibly don't even have a smartphone, or are not familiar with the technology, won't be able to use it," he said.

Harris also pointed out problems that could occur if a mobile phone ran out of battery before the journey ended.

"It all relies on rather fragile technology and although I understand why and I do applaud the principle of making fares easier to understand and making it easier to travel by train, I'm not convinced by this as it stands at the moment," he added.

"I think a smart card is better, which doesn't involve an app, it doesn't involve GPS.

"You don't have to be particularly smart, savvy, you don't need a mobile phone."

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