Location of train passengers to be tracked in ticketing trial

The location of train passengers will be tracked as they travel as part of a contactless ticketing trial, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

The plan involves using GPS technology to record the locations of passengers in Yorkshire and the East Midlands who have downloaded a specific smartphone app.

A barcode which can be scanned by ticket inspectors and station barriers will be produced by the app, the DfT said.

The system will ensure passengers save time and get “a guarantee of the best value ticket on the day”, according to the department.

Existing examples of pay-as-you-go ticketing involve passengers using contactless credit, debit or travel cards to touch in and out on card readers.

Rail minister Lord Hendy said: “We’ve seen the success that contactless ticketing has on making journeys easier to navigate and attracting more people to our railways.

“It’s only right that we now look to expand contactless ticketing to other major cities across the North, ensuring they can reap the economic benefits that simpler ticketing offers and that passengers are having a better experience.”

Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of industry body the Rail Delivery Group, said: “This is another step in making fares and ticketing easier for everyone.

“We are committed to developing a simpler fare system that not only meets passengers’ expectations but also supports the long-term growth of rail travel making customers’ experience of the railway better.”

The Government has started the procurement process to find suppliers who will run the system on certain Northern and East Midlands Railway services.

Alex Hornby, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “Historically, ticketing across the rail industry has been far too complicated and so anything that makes the customer experience simpler has my vote.

“We’ve already seen a huge swing away from physical tickets to digital alternatives, which now make up over 80% of journeys on our network.

“The option to pay as you go is a development of that trend which we’re looking forward to introducing on selected routes very soon.”

The DfT said the trials will start later this year.

Contactless ticketing has been used on London’s public transport network since 2003.

The DfT said it is working with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands to develop their proposals to roll out contactless ticketing further.