Ticketless train travel trial: Your questions answered
BBCWill it be cheaper? Can you use railcards with the app? Will I be forced to use it?
These are just some of the questions you asked after it was announced that East Midlands Railway (EMR) would be testing ticketless train travel from September 2025.
The app tracks passengers' locations and promises to automatically charge "the best fare at the end of the day".
The technology is being tested by up to 1,000 people travelling through Derby, Leicester, Nottingham - and the stations in between - until August.
Further trials are also taking place on three services run by rail operator Northern in Yorkshire.
The technology has already been tested widely in Switzerland, Denmark and Scotland, but the start of the EMR testing marked its first use on England's rail network.
I signed up to test the app on EMR services - and put it to the test alongside traditional tickets to answer your questions.
How does the app work?
I signed up on the EMR website, setting up an account with the company and linking my bank card.
Before travelling, passengers need to activate the app - a process which generates a QR code that can be scanned to pass through the ticket barriers before and after journeys.
Fares are calculated using GPS software which tracks passengers' movements and the app then charges them at the end of each week.
Railcards can also be used via a drop-down box within the app.
Is it cheaper?
EMR says the system will save passengers money and price-capping means they "won't pay more than £23 a day or £73 a week for travel within the trial area on permitted routes".
The rail company says a single journey will be half that of a return - a price not usually available using traditional tickets.
When I travelled, using tickets bought from a machine was close to twice the price of using the app.
Three single tickets - Nottingham to Leicester, Leicester to Derby and Derby to Nottingham - cost £41.50 using paper tickets. The app charged me £19.80.
Passenger advocacy group, Campaign for Better Transport, wants those cheaper prices expanded beyond the app.
"It's fantastic to see innovative schemes like this that make use of the latest technology for smartphones," says policy and campaigns chief Silviya Barrett.
"But not everyone has access to this. So what we would like to see is schemes like that extended to other platforms, so that everyone can access the best prices, regardless of how they buy their train tickets."
In November, the government announced rail fares in England would be frozen next year for the first time in 30 years.
The freeze until March 2027 will apply to regulated fares, which includes season tickets and off-peak returns.
Could this make fare dodging harder to tackle?
EMR says the pay-as-you-go system has built-in safeguards to stop possible fare dodging.
When ticket gates or inspectors need to see proof of a ticket, the activated app produces a QR code that can be scanned.
EMR spokesperson James Coxon says the app has "smart detection systems", which will notice fare-dodging behaviour - like paying for only part of a journey or attempting to travel beyond the travel zone.
"If a customer's journey data indicates potential misuse, the system can automatically apply a maximum fare or, in repeated cases, suspend the customer's account," Mr Coxon adds.
Will I be forced to use this?
Silviya BarrettEMR says the plan, if the trial is successful, is for the app to complement other payment methods.
"We are not forcing or stipulating anyone needs to use this method," Mr Coxon says.
And Campaign for Better Transport expects other payment options to stay for those passengers not used to smartphones and apps.
Ms Barrett says: "Even in places where pay-as-you-go ticketing is in use - like London - there are still other ticket options available including paper tickets and things like day or weekly tickets.
"We will still need ticket offices to sell so-called paper tickets and tickets for people who do not wish to use pay-as-you-go, or who do not have access to a smartphone or contactless payment options."
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