Extent of chaos on new ScotRail app revealed as hundreds of customers complained in just two days
ScotRail's new ticketing app sparked more than 360 passenger complaints within just two days of its launch, prompting bosses to set up an emergency "command centre" to manage the fallout, the Mail can reveal. The nationalised rail operator was forced to apologise in July after the app's rollout descended into what it admitted was a "shambles", with morning rush-hour commuters unable to log in after password reset emails failed to arrive or were badly delayed. The episode matters because ScotRail is publicly owned, having been nationalised by the Scottish Government in 2022, yet it is refusing to disclose how much taxpayers' money was spent on the troubled system.
Figures released under Freedom of Information law show 492 complaints were logged between 30 and 31 July alone, of which 364 were classified as app-related, while social media complaints were not tracked due to high volume. Rail chiefs exchanged around 600 emails with app developer SilverRail during the crisis, and the command centre ran for almost 12 days, from 29 July to 10 August. ScotRail declined to reveal the app's cost, citing commercial sensitivity, drawing criticism from Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Tim Eagle, who accused the SNP-run operator of dismissing serious failures as a "wee glitch". Passengers have continued to report being logged out and other issues weeks after launch.
In short
- ScotRail's new app caused 364 complaints in just two days
- Emergency "command centre" ran for nearly 12 days to manage crisis
- ScotRail won't reveal the app's cost, citing commercial sensitivity
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The launch problems disrupted passengers, and the volume of complaints and emergency response suggest the rollout fell short of the reliability people need when buying tickets. As a publicly owned operator, ScotRail should be accountable for how it manages a major service failure, and withholding the cost makes it harder for taxpayers to assess whether public money was well spent.
The case against
A high complaint count over two days does not by itself show the app was broadly unusable or that its overall value was poor; the reported figures cover logged complaints, while social media reports were not tracked. ScotRail may reasonably argue that supplier pricing is commercially sensitive and that disclosing it could affect negotiations, while pointing to the command centre and continued work with the developer as steps to address the faults.
Explained simply
ScotRail is Scotland’s main passenger rail operator and has been publicly owned by the Scottish Government since 2022. Its ticketing app lets passengers buy and manage train tickets on their phones, and it was developed with software company SilverRail.
The app’s launch exposed how much passengers rely on digital ticketing, particularly when travelling at busy times. The episode also raises questions about how public services manage technology projects and account for spending, while ScotRail says the cost is commercially sensitive.