Trainline, ECR/Hopon, Tracsis and Fairtiq solutions involved in the Rail Delivery Group’s digital pay-as-you-go trials, testing ‘long overdue’ upgrade
Northern is running trials on services to Harrogate, Leeds, Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley
Passengers across the East Midlands can now benefit from more straightforward and flexible tickets, with the launch of the Rail Delivery Group’s digital pay-as-you-go trials. Since September 1, rail passengers travelling between Leicester, Derby, and Nottingham have been able to participate in these trials, with additional trials scheduled to take place in conjunction with Northern Trains in Yorkshire from the end of the month.
The digital ticketing trials will allow passengers to check in and check out seamlessly on rail journeys, using a location-identifying app on their phone. The app will track journeys using GPS technology and then automatically charge passengers the best fare at the end of the day. For ticket inspections and to pass through ticket barriers, a unique barcode will appear in the app.
This technology replaces the need for paper tickets or more commonly used mobile tickets using QR codes bought online or in-app ahead of your journey. Doing away with the need to plan and book journeys in advance, the app tracks your journey and determines which trains you took, detecting when you’ve left the rail network. The suppliers involved in the digital pay-as-you-go trials are Trainline, ECR/Hopon, Tracsis and Fairtiq.
This technology has already been tested widely in Switzerland, Denmark and Scotland, however, this marks the first time these trials are being brought to England’s rail network. Up to 4,000 passengers can take part in these trials by signing up via the relevant train operator’s website.
Rail minister Lord Hendy, said: “The railway ticketing system is far too complicated and long overdue an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century. Through these trials, we’re doing just that and making buying tickets more convenient, more accessible and more flexible. By putting passenger experience at the heart of our decision making, we’re modernising fares and ticketing and making it simpler and easier for people to choose rail.”
We’re helping to shape a future where hopping on a train is as easy as tapping in and out
From the end of month, thousands more passengers will be able to take advantage of the simplified ticketing, with trials running on Northern services to Harrogate, Leeds, Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley.
Northern passengers are already moving to modern ticketing, with January figures showing Northern hit a monthly average of almost 78% usage of mobile tickets.
Alex Hornby, commercial and customer director, Northern, said: “These trials mark an important step forward in simplifying rail travel and making the experience as frictionless as possible for our customers.
“By trialling digital pay-as-you-go technology on some of our routes, we’re helping to shape a future where hopping on a train is as easy as tapping in and out.”
ECR is delivering the trials in close collaboration with Worldline, combining ECR’s expertise in mobile point-of-sale and smart ticketing with Worldline’s trusted payment infrastructure. ECR’s system will be available on Northern Trains’ Sheffield-Barnsley route.
Amir Rosenzweig, CEO of ECR and the HopOn Group, said: “These trials are a practical step toward creating a more intelligent, flexible and user-friendly travel experience. Our focus is on enabling technology that genuinely improves the passenger journey, reducing friction, and making it easier for people to choose public transport with confidence.”
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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