Thousands more rail passengers across Yorkshire will be able to use simpler, flexible ticketing as digital pay-as-you-go technology is extended to all travellers on Northern’s 2 trial routes.
Digital ticketing allows passengers to download an app that uses GPS to track their journeys to calculate the best fare without physically checking in and out or buying a ticket in advance, News Cover reports, citing the UK government's official website.
The technology also helps to minimise fare evasion as it makes sure passengers pay the right fare for their journey and protects passengers who might innocently buy the wrong tickets as digital pay-as-you-go selects for them.
After launching in 2025, the trials were opened to an initial 2,000 passengers across 2 routes in the North: Leeds to Harrogate and Doncaster to Sheffield.
Over 30,000 journeys have benefited, with passengers leaving positive reviews, praising how easy the technology is to use. The expanded trials include a third route in the East Midlands, from Leicester to Nottingham via Derby.
The trials come as part of wider fare and ticketing reforms ahead of Great British Railways (GBR), including the rollout of pay-as-you-go and plans to develop a GBR website, an app that will act as a one-stop shop for passengers to buy tickets, check train times and claim Delay Repay to cut through the confusing options at 14 different operators currently available to passengers.
Now, the cap on the number of people able to take part has been lifted in response to the trials’ popularity and success in the region, meaning an unlimited number of passengers can benefit from contactless ticketing on these routes.
