The Department for Transport said on 7 August 2026 that digital pay-as-you-go ticketing trials on Northern's two Yorkshire routes — Leeds to Harrogate and Doncaster to Sheffield — were being opened to all passengers, with the cap on participants lifted. The department said more than 30,000 journeys had already used the GPS-based app, which calculates the best fare without check-in or advance purchase, since the trials launched in 2025 with an initial 2,000 passengers.

A third route, Leicester to Nottingham via Derby, was included in the expanded trials, which Northern's commercial and customer director, Alex Hornby, said had been extended until September 2027. The department described the move as part of wider ticketing reforms ahead of Great British Railways, including plans for a GBR website and app and a stated £156 million investment intended to bring pay-as-you-go to over 100 more stations by 2027.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy called the trials a success and said extending them would bring convenience to more passengers. Silviya Barrett of Campaign for Better Transport welcomed the expansion as a step toward simpler ticketing.