Ministers to expand digital rail ticketing app trials as part of crackdown on fare dodgers costing industry £400 million a year

Published: 12:54, 4 August 2026 | Updated: 14:25, 4 August 2026 Ministers are to expand trials of a digital rail ticketing app which uses GPS to crack down on fare evasion, it emerged today. Digital pay-as-you-go ticket technology is currently being trialled on some routes in the East Midlands and Yorkshire, including between Leicester and Nottingham via Derby, Harrogate and Leeds and Sheffield and Doncaster. The app tracks a passenger's location and checks them in at the start and end of their journey, even if there are no barriers at a station. The cost is calculated and automatically charged to the passenger's bank card. But transport ministers hope the scheme will also be able to crack down on fare evasion as being able to track where a passenger got on and off could help stop ‘short faring’. This is where fare evaders buy a digital ticket for only the last part of their journey. It is also hoped it could crack down on ‘doughnutting’, when tickets for the start and end parts of a journey are bought but not for the section in between. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the app can help tackle 'illegal and selfish' rail fare dodgers  The initial trials were open only to a limited number of passengers but now an unlimited number will be able to sign up under the expansion. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: ‘Fare evasion is illegal and selfish. 'We are committed to tackling ticket cheats, and that's one of the expected benefits of expanding our digital ticketing app to more people across the trial areas. ‘The GPS technology both prevents people from dishonestly buying the wrong ticket, and makes sure people aren't accidentally overpaying for their journey either. ‘This ticketing development is just one example of how we're modernising our railways and putting passengers first as we set up Great British Railways (GBR), making journeys easier and more convenient.’ The trials are taking place ahead of the full re-nationalisation of the network, which is happening gradually. Operators will be run by GBR, aimed at creating a single 'guiding mind' for the running of the railways. South Western Railway was the first operator to be taken back under state control last May and CrossCountry will be the last, scheduled to take place in Autumn 2027. The app also has in-built safeguarding features, including post-journey ‘manual inspection reviews’ to flag any suspicious activity and monitoring a user's phone battery life so it can confirm any genuine mistakes. Jen Fulford, of Trainline, which is helping to run the trial, said: 'Digital pay as you go is a fantastic technology that has been warmly welcomed by over 1,500 triallists in the East Midlands and helps the railway achieve some of its key goals.’ Estimates suggest fare evasion costs the rail industry £400million a year, with ministers war-gaming ways of cracking down on it. This has so far included £33million to install shoulder-high ticket barriers at fare-dodging hotspots to prevent the barriers being jumped.