FAIRTIQ and Trainline won bronze at the Transport Ticketing Global Awards in the ‘Ticketing Technology of the Year’ category. The award recognises the impact of mobile pay-as-you-go (MPAYG), a technology designed to simplify ticketing and make public transport easier to use.
The technology is currently being tested in the United Kingdom as part of the government’s Plan for Rail reform. The nine-month trial introduces mobile pay-as-you-go rail ticketing on the Sheffield to Doncaster corridor in South Yorkshire, allowing passengers to experience a simpler, mobile-first way of travelling.
The trial forms part of a wider set of location-based, mobile pay-as-you-go ticketing pilots led by the UK government. Several technology providers are testing in parallel, including solutions delivered through platforms such as Trainline. Together, these initiatives aim to explore how digital ticketing models can make rail travel simpler and more flexible for passengers.
When ticketing becomes the barrier
For many passengers, buying the right ticket remains one of the most complicated parts of travelling by train.
Fare structures can be difficult to navigate and ticket options are numerous. Travellers often need to decide on the correct ticket before boarding, even when plans change or routes are unclear.
In a world where digital services are designed to be immediate and intuitive, traditional ticketing can still feel unnecessarily complex.
A journey-first approach to ticketing
Mobile pay-as-you-go changes this experience.
Instead of selecting a ticket before travelling, passengers simply start and end their journey with one swipe in the app. The system automatically calculates the correct fare in the background, ensuring travellers pay the best available price for their trip.
In the UK trial, the technology is available for journeys between stations such as Sheffield, Meadowhall, Rotherham Central and Doncaster. The system uses GPS-based journey detection and works across services operated by Northern, TransPennine Express and CrossCountry within the trial area.
Shaping the future of ticketing
The UK trial allows up to 1,000 passengers to test the technology while providing valuable feedback and journey insights. The goal is clear. Explore how mobile pay-as-you-go can make rail travel simpler, more transparent and more attractive for passengers.
For transport authorities and operators, the potential goes further. If successful, the approach could support wider deployment across cities, regions or even nationwide networks.
The bronze award for Ticketing Technology of the Year recognises how mobile pay-as-you-go is helping move ticketing from complex products to simple journeys.
Because passengers should not need to understand ticketing systems. The system should understand the journey.
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