The UK rail network is stepping into the future of ticketing with location-based digital ticket technology, now being trialled across routes in the Midlands and the North of England. The trial lets passengers use a smartphone app that automatically checks them in and out of journeys using GPS technology, tracks the journey and then applies the best value fare at the end of the travel day. There is also an option to generate a barcode in the app for inspections or ticket gate access.

This ambitious initiative, backed by the Department for Transport, aims to simplify rail fare payments and make journeys more flexible. But what does it really mean for passengers, operators, revenue protection, and the broader rail tech ecosystem?

What are the benefits of digital ticketing?

No longer needing to choose and buy the right ticket before they board aims to make travel an easier experience for passengers. The app promotes spontaneous and flexible travel by capturing their journey and ensuring they pay the most cost-effective fare. This convenience is a major step forward from traditional paper or pre-purchased mobile tickets, purporting to help reduce confusion and barriers to rail travel.

For operators and tech partners, this trial opens the door to a fully digital ticketing lifecycle, from journey capture to fare calculation and enforcement. This is something that modern revenue protection tech firms like us have been evolving for years with products that manage inspection, penalties, fraud detection, and back-office workflows.

Traditional UK rail fare structures can be bewildering, with millions of different ticket types and prices. By calculating the best fare after travel, the system removes guesswork and can increase passenger trust in pricing fairness.

What challenges could arise with GPS-based ticketing?

GPS-based tracking needs to be highly reliable, any accuracy challenges can lead to incorrect charge calculations or disputes over where and when journeys began and ended. Urban environments, underground stretches, or signal interference may lead to inaccurate journey data, and reliability is important if pricing decisions are based on that data.

Using location data for ticketing also introduces privacy questions. Though passengers opt in, public attitudes toward continuous location tracking vary. Some potential users may be uncomfortable trusting an app with precise travel movement, especially if they don’t fully understand how the data is stored, processed, and protected.

Rail networks have highly diverse legacy ticketing infrastructure and integrating a new digital system with existing revenue protection, enforcement tools and back-office systems requires careful technical coordination. Modernisation is more than just a passenger app, it’s connecting that app with everything from train operator systems to revenue tracking and legal enforcement processes.

Rolling out any new ticketing paradigm creates teething issues: confusing support queries, edge-case journeys, or occasional system glitches. Operators and tech partners must be prepared with clear communication and robust support channels so passengers don’t become frustrated or mistrustful.

What does the future of rail ticketing look like?

The success of this trial could pave the way to a national rollout of more intuitive, digital ticketing solutions. The aim is to not only improve the passenger experience but also drive operational efficiencies and modernising revenue protection across the rail industry.

At Raspberry Software we have spent over two decades building rail-specific software solutions that help operators detect and reduce ticket fraud, streamline enforcement, and manage revenue protection workflows. We believe that ticketing reform isn’t just about mobile apps for passengers but about robust systems that support the entire revenue protection ecosystem.

As the UK tests this new approach, insights from experienced rail tech providers will be crucial, both in celebrating wins and addressing challenges early. We will be watching with interest to learn the outcomes of these tests as we continue to work alongside train operating companies to implement the best revenue protection solutions for their business.