ScotRail’s new £83 million ticketing app, launched at the end of July during a busy travel period, has faced severe technical issues with over 3,000 complaints reported within ten days. ScotRail CEO Joanne Maguire admitted to Scottish MPs that the app's launch was not successful and may not be fully functional until Christmas due to unexpected changes made by developer SilverRail Technologies just before its release. She apologized for the poor service and assured they are working to fix the problems, which include incorrect billing and system lockouts.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The £83 million ScotRail ticketing app, launched at the end of July during what was described as one of the busiest weeks for ScotRail since it became a nationalized rail firm, has been plagued with technical issues. Within ten days of its launch, over 3,000 complaints were received from passengers regarding inaccuracies in billing and incorrect journey types displayed by the app. Joanne Maguire, chief executive of ScotRail, admitted that the technology "hasn't been good enough" and acknowledged letting passengers down. She further stated that the problems may persist until Christmas as the company works to stabilize the day-to-day operations of the app despite it being an investment intended to improve passenger experience in the long run.
Written for “ScotRail App Issues Persisting” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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An £83million ScotRail ticket app may not be fixed until Christmas after the boss of the nationalised rail firm admitted the technology ‘hasn’t been good enough’.
The launch of the app at the end of July came during what was said to be the busiest week for ScotRail since it was taken into public ownership.
uncertain
it → click → ownership
Its chief executive Joanne Maguire told MSPs that SilverRail Technologies, the firm behind the app, had made background changes to the operating system ‘at very short notice’ before it went live.
asserted
it → tell → notice
With some 3,000 complaints said to have been made about the app within ten days of it being launched on July 30, Joanne Maguire conceded: ‘We let our passengers down.’
asserted
We → say → passengers
Faults include billing customers for two single tickets rather than a return – doubling the cost – and the app wrongly showing rail trips as ‘bus replacement’ journeys.
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app → include → journeys
SilverRail won the £83million, nine-year contract to provide the app for ScotRail, with Ms Maguire telling Holyrood’s transport committee they were the only ‘compliant bidder’ for the work.
asserted
they → win → work
Some travellers reported being locked out of their account when the app was launched, with others unable to purchase tickets.
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others → report → tickets
Ms Maguire said: ‘Everything was going well up until less than 24 hours before the launch.’
3,000 complaints are said to have been made about the app within 10 days of it being launched on July 30
She said while there had been ‘internal user testing’ of the app, there had not been the opportunity to test it with travellers – with Ms Maguire thanking them for ‘their patience during this time’.
She went on to tell the committee that ScotRail ‘will be forensically examining what could have been done differently’.
But while she said the rail firm is ‘doing everything we possibly can’ to address the issues, she refused to guarantee the problems would be fixed by Christmas.
uncertain
problems → say → Christmas
Pressed on the matter by committee convener, Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie, Ms Maguire said: ‘I absolutely give this committee my commitment that we are working day in, day out and it will be as early as we possibly can.’
uncertain
we → press → commitment
Mr Rennie responded: ‘So you’re not confident by Christmas.’
Ms Maguire said ScotRail is ‘acutely aware’ of the problems with the app.
She said: ‘The launch of the app hasn’t been good enough and for that I apologise.
asserted
I → respond → that
‘I apologise to the committee, and I apologise to all of our passengers.’
asserted
I → apologise → passengers
Speaking about the difficulties some travellers have had, Ms Maguire said: ‘We know that day one wasn’t good enough.
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day → speak → difficulties
‘We had significant challenges with log-ons and there have then been six other days when we’ve had challenges, and the service we have provided hasn’t been good enough.’
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we → have → challenges
But she insisted the app is ‘an investment that will make improvements for our passengers’ – although she added these had not yet been seen by travellers ‘because what we are focused on is stabilising the day-to-day delivery and operation of the app’.
asserted
focused → insist → app
ScotRail is still having daily calls with SilverRail, as well as ‘repeated calls’ throughout the day, Ms Maguire added.
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Maguire → have → day
Mr Rennie said he is a frequent traveller on ScotRail ‘and almost every day that I travel I see people having problems’.
asserted
people → say → problems
He told Ms Maguire: ‘I myself had a problem last week going into Glasgow Queen Street returning to Edinburgh where my return ticket wouldn’t show on the system.
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ticket → tell → system
‘Staff were very good, they let me through, but I see other people encountering similar problems.’
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I → let → problems
He said he was ‘disappointed’ an up to date figure for the number of complaints received so far was not available.
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figure → say → complaints
He also said SilverRail has a ‘track record of having problems’ with similar apps for other rail firms, though Ms Maguire told him ScotRail had been ‘assured’ the company had ‘learned from that and improvements had been made’.
asserted
improvements → say → that
Earlier this month, the Mail revealed the new ticket app triggered more than 360 passenger complaints in just two days and forced bosses to establish an emergency command centre.
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app → reveal → centre
Rail chiefs exchanged around 600 emails with app supplier SilverRail during the crisis.
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chiefs → exchange → crisis
ScotRail now operates a £10 minimum fare policy for those who board a train without buying a ticket beforehand when they had the opportunity to do so.
asserted
they → operate → opportunity
Transport Scotland was contacted for comment.
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Scotland → contact → comment
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