More than 30,000 journeys have been made on Northern services by passengers using new pay-as-you-go technology.
The passengers are volunteering to use Digital Pay as You Go (DPAYG) technology on the Leeds-Harrogate and Sheffield-Doncaster routes, as part of a trial run by the Department for Transport and Northern.
It comes as the government is reforming ticketing to improve passenger journeys ahead of the creation of Great British Railways (GBR).
Instead of booking a ticket for each journey, passengers download an app which generates a barcode they can use to get through the ticket barriers and show during ticket inspections.
The app tracks journeys using GPS and then automatically charges them the best fare on the day.
It can also help save people money as there are daily and weekly caps on the cost of travel.
On the Leeds-Harrogate route, passengers have hit the daily cap (of £12.80) more than 150 times since the trial was launched in September 2025.
More than 3,200 people have taken part in the DPAYG trial on Northern services so far and the operator is encouraging more passengers to sign up.
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin recently visited Burley Park station to find out more about how the technology is benefitting passengers.
She said:
"This is an exciting move to bring train tickets into the 21st century.
"Getting from A to B without fuss, stress or forward planning will make journeys much smoother for passengers.
"This trial will help us as we grow our Weaver Network, which will provide a seamless way to get around West Yorkshire, no matter how you travel.”
Alex Hornby, Northern’s commercial and customer director, said:
“This represents the future of ticketing here in the North.
"It’s fantastic to see this reaction from our customers in Yorkshire, as more than 3,200 are now making the most of it.
“We’ve been receiving a lot of promising feedback so far, with high app review scores and many saying it makes travelling by train easier and more straight forward.
“There is still time for more people to join the trial and try out these pay-as-you-go tickets. Customers will get free £15 credit when they sign up.”
Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said:
“Great British Railways will make rail travel simpler by reforming fares and modernising ticketing.
"This trial is an important step towards achieving this goal and it's wonderful to see thousands of passengers already using DPAYG to make their journeys easier and more flexible.
“By embracing modern ticketing and new technology for fares, we’re building a railway that works around people’s lives and provides the best value for money and a better travel experience for passengers.”
The technology was widely tested in Switzerland, Denmark and Scotland before it was introduced on a number of routes in England last year.
The rollout is part of the Government’s work to make rail fares and tickets more convenient, accessible, and flexible, ahead of the creation of GBR, a publicly owned organisation that will bring track and train together to deliver better services for passengers across the country and better value for taxpayers.
This includes the expansion of pay as you go ticketing and the development of a new GBR website and app, which will serve as a one-stop-shop with passengers able to buy tickets, check train times and access a range of support all in one place.
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