A New Project may remove the need for Traditional Rail Tickets in Yorkshire

Rail passengers in Yorkshire are being invited to take part in a new trial that removes the need to buy traditional train tickets. The project, known as Digital Pay-As-You-Go (DPAYG), is being run by Northern Trains in partnership with the Department for Transport and Technology provider, Tracsis. It is designed to modernise the way passengers pay for rail travel by allowing them to check in and out of journeys using their smartphones.

The system works through a mobile app that uses GPS technology to track journeys. Before travelling, passengers open the app and tap ‘Start Journey’ at their departure station. While travelling, a unique QR code appears in the app, which can be shown to conductors or scanned at ticket barriers. When the passenger reaches their destination, they tap ‘End Journey’, and the system calculates the fare automatically. The app guarantees that travellers will be charged the lowest possible fare, applying daily and weekly fare caps to ensure value for money.

The trial is taking place on Northern services between Leeds and Harrogate, with plans to expand to Sheffield-Doncaster on 27 October and Sheffield-Barnsley on 24 November.

The Leeds – Harrogate route was chosen because it crosses between two different combined authorities, offering a useful test of how the system handles multiple transport jurisdictions. The technology is similar to the contactless pay-as-you-go systems already used in cities, such as London, but instead of tapping a card at barriers, passengers check in and out using their phones.

Officials say the trial is part of a wider effort to simplify ticketing and bring rail travel into the digital age. Northern’s commercial and customer director, Alex Hornby, said in front of the BBC that the goal is to make travel easier by “taking the barriers away from buying a ticket.” The Department for Transport described the scheme as a step towards a fully integrated, multimodal pay-as-you-go transport system across the UK.

Passengers’ fares are calculated automatically after each journey, and users receive a message confirming the amount charged. However, the system relies on travellers correctly checking in and out and keeping location services active. If a journey is not properly recorded, the passenger may be charged an incomplete fare, though there is a process to dispute errors through the app. Certain ticket types, such as advance fares or group discounts, are not currently available through DPAYG during the trial period.

A similar pilot is already running in the East Midlands, covering services between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, and early results have been described as successful. The government says these trials will help shape future national ticketing reforms and support its plan to make rail travel simpler and more efficient.

The DPAYG trial aims to reduce queues, eliminate confusion over ticket types, and ensure passengers always pay a fair price for the journeys they actually take. If successful, it could pave the way for a nationwide pay-as-you-go system that integrates trains, trams and buses into a single, seamless network.

Words by Raya Boycheva