A new pay-as-you-go rail ticketing system, which tracks passengers as they travel, is being trialled in England.
The new technology, which is already being tested in Scotland, Switzerland and Denmark, is designed to replace the need for paper tickets and mobile tickets which use a QR code.
Passengers will be able to check in and out of rail journeys using an app on their phone – and will then be automatically charged the “best fare at the end of the day”.
When passing through ticket barriers, passengers will scan a unique bar code on the app, and their journey will be tracked using the global positioning system (GPS).
It is hoped people will be able to save time and money, and is part of the government’s promise to make ticketing simpler and more flexible for passengers.
The first trials have started taking place on East Midlands Railway between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham.
Testing will be extended to Northern Rail services between Harrogate, Leeds, Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley from the end of September.
Up to 4,000 people will be able to sign up for the trials on train operators’ websites.
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Rail minister Lord Peter 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.”
