England is piloting a cutting-edge GPS-based pay-as-you-go rail ticketing system that promises to simplify train travel. Passengers on select East Midlands Railway routes (between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham) can now check in and out of journeys using a smartphone app, which tracks their trips via GPS and later automatically charges the cheapest fare by day’s end.
This trial, the first of its kind on England’s rail network eliminates the need to buy paper or QR-code tickets in advance.
If successful, the system could soon expand to other lines, with tests slated for Northern rail services in Yorkshire (Harrogate - Leeds, Sheffield - Doncaster, and Sheffield - Barnsley) by the end of September.
How the GPS Ticket Trial Works
The “tap-in, tap-out” style scheme relies on a location-aware app and simple phone check-ins rather than physical tickets. Before boarding, participants activate the app and tap in to start a journey; upon leaving the train or station, they tap out to end it.
The app uses GPS to log which stations the traveler passes through or stops at, determining the journey taken. For any ticket inspections or station gates, a unique barcode is generated on the phone for scanning, much like displaying an e-boarding pass.
At the end of the day, the system calculates each user’s travel and charges the lowest applicable fare across all their rides that day. In essence, riders are always charged as if they bought the ideal combination of tickets for their travel, guaranteeing the “best fare” available.
To protect customers from overpaying, the trial includes fare caps and discounts built in. For example, on the East Midlands routes under test, daily charges are capped (no more than £23 per day, or £72 per week), and single trips are priced at half the cost of a return trip.
This means travelers can roam freely within the trial network all day without exceeding the cap. (However, officials note that in some cases a traditional advance-purchase or season ticket might still be cheaper for a given journey pattern.)
Up to 4,000 passengers are being recruited to participate in the combined East Midlands and Northern trials , and interest is high, more than 500 people had registered for the East Midlands pilot even before launch.
The initial phase on East Midlands Railway is expected to run for about nine months, with data and feedback collected to inform potential wider rollout.
Why It Matters
British rail fares are famously complicated, with a maze of ticket types, prices, and restrictions that can confuse even seasoned travelers. Campaigners have long argued that the UK’s fare system desperately needs an overhaul to make it easier to navigate.
This GPS-based pay-as-you-go approach could be a game-changer in simplifying that experience. By automating fare calculation and ensuring the lowest fare is applied, the system removes the guesswork from buying tickets. “We know that complex fares can be a real barrier to travel, but this trial removes that uncertainty,” notes Oli Cox of East Midlands Railway.
Travelers can hop on a train at a moment’s notice without worrying about buying the “right” ticket or overpaying. A boon for spontaneity in travel plans. The app’s check-in/out method guarantees you never pay more than necessary, effectively acting as a safety net against the wrong fare or missed savings.
Equally important is the convenience factor. The scheme promises to save time and hassle: no more queuing at ticket machines or fumbling for the correct ticket on your phone. All you need is your smartphone, and the app handles the rest in the background.
By putting passenger experience first, the trial aims to make rail travel more accessible and flexible, encouraging more people to choose trains over other transport.
If widely adopted, this system could streamline daily commutes and impromptu trips alike, letting riders simply “tap in, tap out” and be on their way. It’s a significant step toward modernizing an antiquated ticketing model and rebuilding trust that rail passengers are always getting a fair deal.
The Bigger Picture in 2025
This experiment is part of a broader trend in 2025 toward frictionless, tech-enabled travel. Around the world, transit systems are embracing digital solutions that make journeys seamless.
Similar pay-as-you-go ticketing via smartphone has already been tested in Switzerland, Denmark, and Scotland , where early results showed it can work across different networks. In fact, Scotland’s ScotRail launched a “Tap & Pay” mobile app trial in early 2025 on certain routes around Strathclyde and Edinburgh, which also calculates the cheapest fares after travel.
These initiatives echo the success of contactless bank card payments on urban transit like the tap-and-go systems in London, but take it a step further by using riders’ phones and GPS rather than station hardware. The UK government has pointed to the success of contactless ticketing in boosting ridership and is now looking to extend such ease-of-use nationwide.
The GPS-app model could leapfrog older infrastructure by delivering nationwide pay-as-you-go rail travel without needing new card readers at every station.
Importantly, the trial aligns with long-term rail reforms on the horizon. The government’s plan to create a unified Great British Railways system is meant to simplify fares and improve passenger experience across the country. Innovative digital ticketing is a key piece of that puzzle.
By modernising fares and ticketing, officials hope to make train travel a more attractive option and drive growth in rail usage. The fact that this pilot is backed by nearly £1 million of government funding signals how crucial it is deemed for future policy.
If the trials in the Midlands and North prove successful, they could pave the way for a new standard in UK rail travel where paper tickets and complex fare tables are relics of the past, and where technology ensures every journey is billed fairly and effortlessly.
Overall, England’s GPS-based pay-as-you-go rail ticket trial is a milestone in the journey toward smarter travel. It shows that in 2025, travel innovation isn’t just about faster trains or planes, but also about removing pain points in the travel experience.
A system that automatically gives passengers the best price every time could revolutionize how we use trains, making spontaneous trips and daily commutes easier than ever.
All eyes will be on the East Midlands and Yorkshire in the coming months because if tapping a phone can indeed replace the paper ticket, rail riders across the UK may soon be saying goodbye to the old ways and enjoying a more flexible, tech-savvy future on the tracks.