Here’s how the UK’s new GPS train ticketing app works – and which routes you can use it on
Key Points
- Northern has removed the sign-up cap on its digital pay-as-you-go trial, so any passenger on the trial routes can now take part.
- The app uses GPS to track journeys and works out the cheapest fare, with no advance ticket needed.
- Three routes are covered: Leeds to Harrogate, Doncaster to Sheffield, and Leicester to Nottingham via Derby.
- New sign-ups get £15 of free credit, and the trial now runs until September 2027.
- Pay-as-you-go reaches more than 100 additional stations across Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the south-east by 2027.
Northern has lifted the cap on its digital pay-as-you-go ticketing trial, opening GPS-based fares to every passenger travelling on three routes in Yorkshire and the East Midlands.
The Department for Transport confirmed the expansion on Friday (7 August), removing the 2,000-passenger limit that applied when the trial launched in 2025.
Passengers on the two original Northern routes – Leeds to Harrogate and Doncaster to Sheffield – can now sign up without joining a waiting list, and the trial adds a third route running from Leicester to Nottingham via Derby. More than 30,000 journeys have already used the technology since launch.
How the app works
Passengers download an app that uses GPS to track where they travel and then calculates the correct fare for that journey.
The system removes the need to buy a ticket in advance or work out which fare offers the best value before setting off. Anyone who would otherwise pick the wrong ticket pays the right price automatically, and the same mechanism cuts fare evasion by matching every journey to a payment.
Northern is offering £15 of free credit to new sign-ups, and the trial now runs until September 2027.
“The future of ticketing is happening right here in the North, which is making train travel simpler, frictionless and more convenient for our customers,” said Alex Hornby, Commercial and Customer Director at Northern.
“It has already been used to make more than 30,000 journeys on Northern services and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback so far.”
Wider rail reform
The trials form part of the government’s ticketing overhaul ahead of Great British Railways, which will replace the current split across 14 operators.
A £156 million investment brings pay-as-you-go to more than 100 additional stations across Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the south-east by 2027.
Contactless bankcard ticketing already covers over 100 stations in the south-east, linking trains with London’s airports, buses, Tube and tram network across 55 million journeys a year.
A GBR website and app in development will let passengers buy tickets, check times and claim Delay Repay in one place.
“Buying a train ticket across much of Yorkshire is far too complicated, with the whole system long overdue an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century,” said Peter Hendy, Rail Minister. “The digital pay-as-you-go trials have been a huge success and by extending them, we’re making that convenience, accessibility and flexible for even more passengers.”
The government is handing local authorities the data and tools to design their own ticketing rather than applying a single national model.
“Expanding digital pay-as-you-go is a welcome step towards a simpler, more seamless railway, making it easier for passengers to get the best fare without navigating a complex ticketing system,” said Silviya Barrett, Director of Policy and Research at Campaign for Better Transport.
