For anyone who’s ever stood at a station fumbling through fare options and wondering whether they’ve bought the right ticket, East Midlands Railway thinks it might have found a better way.
EMR is extending its Digital Pay As You Go trial for another year after more than 27,000 journeys were completed using the scheme across the region.
The system, which currently operates between Nottingham, Derby and Leicester, uses GPS technology built into the EMR app to track where passengers travel and automatically work out the correct fare. That means no pre-booking, no ticket machines and no last-minute panic about choosing the right ticket before boarding.
Instead, travellers simply sign up to the trial, make their journey and let the app do the hard work.
The technology has proved popular so far. Since launching, nearly 1,500 passengers have signed up and collectively made 27,009 journeys, while the app has earned a customer satisfaction score of 4.4 out of 5.
The trial is part of a wider rail industry project backed by the Department for Transport, which is exploring whether smarter digital ticketing could make travelling by train easier and more flexible.
Neil Grabham, EMR’s Interim Managing Director, said the strong take-up showed customers were embracing a simpler way to pay for rail travel.
“We’re delighted to be extending the trial for a further 12 months, giving even more customers the opportunity to experience Digital Pay As You Go,” he said.
He added that the technology removes much of the guesswork from train fares by allowing passengers to travel first and have the correct fare calculated automatically.
There’s also no cap on the number of participants, meaning regular rail users travelling between Nottingham, Derby and Leicester are being encouraged to give it a try.
If successful, the scheme could offer a glimpse of how rail travel might work in the future, with passengers no longer needing to navigate the often confusing world of ticket types before stepping aboard.
