ScotRail's chief executive has admitted that the £83million ticketing app launched in July "hasn't been good enough" and could not confirm that ongoing problems would be resolved before Christmas. Joanne Maguire told MSPs on Holyrood's transport committee that supplier SilverRail Technologies made last-minute changes to the operating system before launch, and that the app had not been tested with real passengers beforehand. The admission matters because it highlights significant failings in a costly technology contract for Scotland's nationalised rail operator, affecting thousands of passengers during one of its busiest periods.

Around 3,000 complaints were reportedly made within ten days of the app's launch on 30 July, with faults including passengers being double-charged for return tickets and journeys wrongly labelled as bus replacement services. Some users were locked out of their accounts or unable to buy tickets at all. SilverRail, awarded a nine-year contract despite a history of problems with similar apps elsewhere, is still holding daily and repeated calls with ScotRail to address the issues, while Maguire apologised to passengers and the committee but stopped short of guaranteeing a fix by Christmas.