Chiltern Railways plans to start a trial of an automatic at-faregate payment service in December, using passengers’ smartphones and ‘eliminating the need for pre-purchase'.
The account-based system involves communicating journey data via a dedicated app, which will interact with wireless 'beacon' Bluetooth technology at key points and be supported by GPS-based geolocation of the traveller's movements.
A Chiltern London-Oxford commuter train on a stretch of track in Islip
The app will open faregates at the start of users' journeys and log arrivals at their destinations. They will be charged at the end of the day for all trips that they have made on the route via their bank cards, using input account details.
The company is promising that users will always pay the correct fare by, for example, time of day.
The trial will run for 12 months and involve around 60 regular commuters travelling on the firm’s medium-distance route between London Marylebone and Oxford Parkway.
Chiltern Railways managing director Dave Penney said: 'This trial could be the next evolution of rail ticketing, with our concept eliminating the need for pre-purchase.'
Oxford Parkway Station opened in 2015 on the outskirts of the city, with an onward Chiltern link due to become operational on 12 December to the central Oxford Station. This is owned by Great Western, and bringing it into the new system will be dependent on discussions between the two companies.
Earlier in the year, Chiltern Railways introduced a continuous wi-fi service, connecting at-station and on-train systems without interruption.
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