The digital rail ticket trial asks passengers to let a phone track their journey and calculate the best fare. Britain has finally found a ticket system that can follow you from Leicester to Nottingham while the ticket machine continues to consider its options.
Digital rail ticket trial meets the phone
The government launched trials on East Midlands Railway between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, with Northern trials due to follow. Participants use an app that identifies their location, records the journey and works out the best fare at the end of the day.
This could make rail travel simpler. A passenger no longer needs to choose from a forest of tickets before leaving home. Instead, they trust a phone to notice when they board a train, leave a station and begin wondering why the barrier is looking at them suspiciously.
The digital rail ticket trial also produces a barcode for inspections and barriers. That gives the traveller a modern choice. They can fumble for a paper ticket in the rain or stare at a black screen while explaining that the future is currently loading.
The best fare joins the journey
Up to 4,000 people could take part in the trials. The scheme aims to guarantee the best value fare for each day. This is welcome. The current system often makes buying a rail ticket feel like taking an exam set by a suitcase full of tiny accountants.
GPS can tell the app where a journey began and ended. It cannot tell the app why the train stopped near a field for twenty minutes. Perhaps that question remains for the next phase, alongside a button labelled Please Explain The Weather.
The digital rail ticket trial is a practical test of a simpler system. If it works, passengers may spend less time decoding fares. If it fails, they will at least own a phone with an unusually detailed alibi.
