West Midlands Metro PF Stage 1 Appeal Rejected- Advice

[sootheduck]

Received a PFN on 4/10, travelling from Wednesbury Great Western Street to Bull Street.

Zone 1-3 Day Off Peak ticket was purchased around 12:45pm on their app before even reaching Birmingham by train as I live in Warwickshire.

At Winston Green Outer Circle many RPOs boarded the tram and were checking tickets around 5:00pm. This was my return journey with the outward journey from Bull Street to Wednesbury Great Western Street starting around 1:30pm, where I was not checked at all and had been blissfully unaware of the need to activate.

As my ticket was displayed in “My Tickets” part of the app after purchasing I thought I was fine, but had realised on the return journey that I needed to activate it, and did this mid journey back. However, there was still some of the activation timer left when the RPO was asking me for ticket so they mentioned I would have to get off tram with them. They explained they would be issuing me a PFN and I could appeal if desired. I provided all details and stayed calm and explained that I am not from the area and had set up my account and purchased ticket earlier on. They said they understood but continued anyway and said this PFN is a valid ticket for my journey now.

I sent off my Stage 1 Appeal online on the 4th and it was rejected on the 6th. In that appeal I uploaded screenshots of me creating and activating my WMM account and then buying my day ticket 6 mins later along with the PFN saying “Reason: Other” and a screenshot of my activated ticket after timer completed. This was roughly what I wrote (2000 character limit online):
I am writing to formally appeal the Penalty Fare Notice issued to me, under the grounds of a genuine misunderstanding by a first-time visitor acting in complete good faith.

I am not from the West Midlands area and have never used this network before. In fact, I only created my MyMetro app account today to facilitate my travel. Being entirely unfamiliar with the specific activation rules of the network, l purchased a digital Day Ticket via the app at 12:46pm.

Because I am a first-time visitor, I mistakenly believed that holding a fully paid, valid Day Ticket within my brand-new app account was sufficient authority to travel. I did not realise that a separate, manual countdown activation was strictly required prior to boarding the vehicle on my return leg.

On my return journey, I realised the ticket needed to be activated and did so. When I was inspected, my ticket was not fully yet active. The inspecting officer marked the reason on my notice as "Other," recognizing that this was an unusual circumstance rather than deliberate fare evasion.

I have attached a screenshot of my app's purchase history proving this Day Ticket was bought at 12:46pm, hours prior to being stopped, demonstrating my clear intent to pay for my travel from the outset. As a brand-new user and an out-of-town tourist who made an honest mistake navigating your system, I kindly request that this penalty be overturned.

As explained in another thread

Appeals Service Glitched?

Hi, I am trying to lodge a Stage 2 appeal after my Stage 1 Appeal was rejected. However, when I go to submit a second appeal on the appeal service website it says they don’t deal with TFL appeals, but my appeal is not with TFL, it’s with West Midlands Metro… I have emailed...

www.railforums.co.uk

the appeals service website malfunctions when I try to create my second appeal so I was told to reply to their help email and assured it would be passed on(not sure to who).

Ideally I would like to receive a caution/warning and the fine to be cancelled but appreciate that’s pretty wishful thinking. It is my limited understanding that at stage 2 or 3 of the appeal process(although WMM website seems to suggest only 2 stages?) there can be some possibility of mitigation/understanding compared to earlier on in the process. My logic is that I may as well try appeal, as you never know. Based on the speed of their response to the first appeal I could still be within the £50 discount window by outcome of Stage 2 anyway.

Finally, I am confused as the RPO kept saying appeals are done by an independent third party that are “nothing to do with us” but the notice says I can also write to WMM directly, is that just for physical letters?

Thanks!

TLDR - Should I just pay the £50 or worth appealing at Stage 2/3 just to see?

 

[WesternLancer]

Received a PFN on 4/10, travelling from Wednesbury Great Western Street to Bull Street.

Zone 1-3 Day Off Peak ticket was purchased around 12:45pm on their app before even reaching Birmingham by train as I live in Warwickshire.

At Winston Green Outer Circle many RPOs boarded the tram and were checking tickets around 5:00pm. This was my return journey with the outward journey from Bull Street to Wednesbury Great Western Street starting around 1:30pm, where I was not checked at all and had been blissfully unaware of the need to activate.

As my ticket was displayed in “My Tickets” part of the app after purchasing I thought I was fine, but had realised on the return journey that I needed to activate it, and did this mid journey back. However, there was still some of the activation timer left when the RPO was asking me for ticket so they mentioned I would have to get off tram with them. They explained they would be issuing me a PFN and I could appeal if desired. I provided all details and stayed calm and explained that I am not from the area and had set up my account and purchased ticket earlier on. They said they understood but continued anyway and said this PFN is a valid ticket for my journey now.

I sent off my Stage 1 Appeal online on the 4th and it was rejected on the 6th. In that appeal I uploaded screenshots of me creating and activating my WMM account and then buying my day ticket 6 mins later along with the PFN saying “Reason: Other” and a screenshot of my activated ticket after timer completed. This was roughly what I wrote (2000 character limit online):
I am writing to formally appeal the Penalty Fare Notice issued to me, under the grounds of a genuine misunderstanding by a first-time visitor acting in complete good faith.

I am not from the West Midlands area and have never used this network before. In fact, I only created my MyMetro app account today to facilitate my travel. Being entirely unfamiliar with the specific activation rules of the network, l purchased a digital Day Ticket via the app at 12:46pm.

Because I am a first-time visitor, I mistakenly believed that holding a fully paid, valid Day Ticket within my brand-new app account was sufficient authority to travel. I did not realise that a separate, manual countdown activation was strictly required prior to boarding the vehicle on my return leg.

On my return journey, I realised the ticket needed to be activated and did so. When I was inspected, my ticket was not fully yet active. The inspecting officer marked the reason on my notice as "Other," recognizing that this was an unusual circumstance rather than deliberate fare evasion.

I have attached a screenshot of my app's purchase history proving this Day Ticket was bought at 12:46pm, hours prior to being stopped, demonstrating my clear intent to pay for my travel from the outset. As a brand-new user and an out-of-town tourist who made an honest mistake navigating your system, I kindly request that this penalty be overturned.

As explained in another thread

Appeals Service Glitched?

Hi, I am trying to lodge a Stage 2 appeal after my Stage 1 Appeal was rejected. However, when I go to submit a second appeal on the appeal service website it says they don’t deal with TFL appeals, but my appeal is not with TFL, it’s with West Midlands Metro… I have emailed...

www.railforums.co.uk

the appeals service website malfunctions when I try to create my second appeal so I was told to reply to their help email and assured it would be passed on(not sure to who).

Ideally I would like to receive a caution/warning and the fine to be cancelled but appreciate that’s pretty wishful thinking. It is my limited understanding that at stage 2 or 3 of the appeal process(although WMM website seems to suggest only 2 stages?) there can be some possibility of mitigation/understanding compared to earlier on in the process. My logic is that I may as well try appeal, as you never know. Based on the speed of their response to the first appeal I could still be within the £50 discount window by outcome of Stage 2 anyway.

Finally, I am confused as the RPO kept saying appeals are done by an independent third party that are “nothing to do with us” but the notice says I can also write to WMM directly, is that just for physical letters?

Thanks!

TLDR - Should I just pay the £50 or worth appealing at Stage 2/3 just to see?

The prompt payment window is paused while appeals are underway then clock starts again when the issue a decision.

From what is often reported here meaningful appeal consideration only happens at stage 2 or 3. If west mids trams have a stage 3. They may operate under different rules than railway penalty fares.

Hopefully experts here can advise on making your stage two appeal as robust as possible or advise if you have solid grounds.

I fear not being familiar with the rules of the ticket might not be valid grounds for a successful appeal however.

If you have to appeal by e mail make it very clear at the top / start the email is to be considered as a stage x appeal

 

[furlong]

Two stages of appeal.

Appeals against penalty fares must be upheld if any of the following specified conditions apply:

A notice was displayed at the tram stop at the time the customer commenced their journey, indicating that customers were permitted to board a tram without first purchasing a valid ticket.
A MML Authorised Person gave the customer permission to board a tram without purchasing a ticket.
A notice compliant with Section 7 of the Act was not displayed at the tram stop or tram where and when the customer commenced his/her journey.

In all other cases, consideration will be given to all relevant facts and circumstances. Where none of the grounds listed above apply, the appeal will normally be dismissed. Notwithstanding this, an appeal may be upheld where the circumstances of the case are deemed exceptional and the imposition of a Penalty Fare Notice (PFN) would be unreasonable.

So you're basically arguing it's unreasonable because they've not lost any money and you weren't familiar with the procedure.

You should try to go through the process you went through again to see where you went wrong. How was it that you missed the activation requirement? How prominent were those instructions? How clear was it that the system would not sell you a ticket that could be used immediately but that you needed to do something extra afterwards? Did the system offer to take you directly to that additional step at the end of the process or just abandon you and make you discover this for yourself somewhere else in the app? etc.

If you're going to argue that you believed you were in possession of a valid ticket, you need to set out why you held that belief and the failings of the app in not making it sufficiently clear to someone of that mind that this was not true. For example if you viewed the ticket in the app how clearly did it tell you that it was not valid for travel? This is basically a misselling argument you need to make based on someone who began the unfamiliar process with the reasonable belief that they just needed to buy the ticket, focussing their attention on selecting the right one for their needs, and for whom the fact a separate activation step might be needed never entered their mind. (The underlying argument is that you were mislead into thinking the ticket you bought met your needs when it did not because there was an additional requirement that the sale process did not made clear to you.)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Friday at 01:43 ==

but had realised on the return journey that I needed to activate it, and did this mid journey back.

This part is crucial. How and why did you realise at that precise time and location?

 

[blimmo]

This is another "reason: other" PF. I think that's grounds for appeal. @AlterEgo was very confident on this last time.
I was wrong, see below

 

[CyrusWuff]

You should try to go through the process you went through again to see where you went wrong. How was it that you missed the activation requirement? How prominent were those instructions? How clear was it that the system would not sell you a ticket that could be used immediately but that you needed to do something extra afterwards? Did the system offer to take you directly to that additional step at the end of the process or just abandon you and make you discover this for yourself somewhere else in the app? etc.

Having recently used the WMM app to buy a ticket, it does say you need to activate the ticket but not until after you've paid for it.

What I don't understand is why there is a two minute delay (complete with countdown timer) between pressing the Activate button and the ticket being available, unlike all the bus m-ticket apps I've used which have instant activation.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

This is another "reason: other" PF. I think that's grounds for appeal. @AlterEgo was very confident on this last time.

But that was for a railway penalty fare. This is for whatever scheme is used for the West Midlands trams. We can't assume that what works for the railway will work for the trams.

 

[AlterEgo]

But that was for a railway penalty fare. This is for whatever scheme is used for the West Midlands trams. We can't assume that what works for the railway will work for the trams.

Indeed, there is no requirement in the relevant law in this case for a statement of reasons to be given on the receipt.

Midland Metro (Penalty Fares) Act 1991

www.legislation.gov.uk

 

[sootheduck]

Having recently used the WMM app to buy a ticket, it does say you need to activate the ticket but not until after you've paid for it.

What I don't understand is why there is a two minute delay (complete with countdown timer) between pressing the Activate button and the ticket being available, unlike all the bus m-ticket apps I've used which have instant activation.

The timer is there I presume to stop people speed buying a ticket on the app when they notice RPOs

 

[CharlieSpotted]

Interesting that the legislation linked to above is from 1991 and apparently no newer version exists. I'm surprised, I guess, that they haven't needed to update it having only very recently moved to their compulsory 'buy before you board' model.

In my view, they really should have had contactless tap-in(/out) sorted before making that change but that's probably for another thread. The 'Swift' version is really problematic, as detailed elsewhere, but Swift is and always has been a pretty lousy product.

 

[furlong]

Having recently used the WMM app to buy a ticket, it does say you need to activate the ticket but not until after you've paid for it.

What I don't understand is why there is a two minute delay (complete with countdown timer) between pressing the Activate button and the ticket being available, unlike all the bus m-ticket apps I've used which have instant activation.

And again the question is if it tells you this before purchase - that it takes a minimum of two minutes to make a purchased ticket valid. If not, that delay might not be enforceable and the ticket might be deemed valid prior to the completion of the countdown. The key to this one is how and why and when the OP discovered they had to perform this extra step and the reason they did not perform the step earlier - and then if that explanation is reasonable for a type of person similar to the OP. IMHO this requirement and the in-built delay needs to be prominent prior to the final confirmation of the purchase and the payment being taken - otherwise the OP can advance arguments similar to the ones I'm suggesting, namely that it may be deemed valid earlier than the operator would wish, namely that the additional unexpected requirements are unenforceable and fall outside the contract.

 

[sootheduck]

And again the question is if it tells you this before purchase - that it takes a minimum of two minutes to make a purchased ticket valid. If not, that delay might not be enforceable and the ticket might be deemed valid prior to the completion of the countdown. The key to this one is how and why and when the OP discovered they had to perform this extra step and the reason they did not perform the step earlier - and then if that explanation is reasonable for a type of person similar to the OP. IMHO this requirement and the in-built delay needs to be prominent prior to the final confirmation of the purchase and the payment being taken - otherwise the OP can advance arguments similar to the ones I'm suggesting, namely that it may be deemed valid earlier than the operator would wish, namely that the additional unexpected requirements are unenforceable and fall outside the contract.

I don’t remember it ever saying in the app to activate it at least not easily. I only really remember realising by looking at a sign in the tram later on return and thinking is mine active and by clicking into my ticket fully (I.e. not just in “my ticket” list but a further step into the ticket) then I saw the activate ticket button and thus the timer countdown.

Uploading some pics of an example purchase I just did to show that it doesn’t make it clear in my opinion. As a new user I only had one ticket which was my Zone 1-3 Day Ticket listed in “My Tickets” with no filtered list of categories or anything on the 4th (hence why I presumed initially it was active once bought!)

 

[furlong]

I think you have a strong case there. There is a key word "today" in the second image "Select all the stations that you would like to travel to today" and then at the end it says "Payment successful. Your ticket can now be found in my tickets." with a button labelled "Done".

That last dialogue should have said something like "click here to confirm you are using this ticket today and to activate it" rather than saying the process of buying a ticket to use "today" was now "done".

And on the 'purchase ticket' page it should have made prominent that fact that a ticket must be activated after purchase and that this will take a minimum of two minutes to perform. Without that I'd suggest such terms are unenforceable. You cannot hide key terms of a consumer contract in the small print.

Unless there's something you haven't shown us, I think a reasonable person would believe they held a valid ticket for travel today after clicking "Done".

 

[sootheduck]

I think you have a strong case there. There is a key word "today" in the second image "Select all the stations that you would like to travel to today" and then at the end it says "Payment successful. Your ticket can now be found in my tickets." with a button labelled "Done".

That last dialogue should have said something like "click here to confirm you are using this ticket today and to activate it" rather than saying the process of buying a ticket to use "today" was now "done".

And on the 'purchase ticket' page it should have made prominent that fact that a ticket must be activated after purchase and that this will take a minimum of two minutes to perform. Without that I'd suggest such terms are unenforceable. You cannot hide key terms of a consumer contract in the small print.

Unless there's something you haven't shown us, I think a reasonable person would believe they held a valid ticket for travel today after clicking "Done".

Ok thank you, I will draft up a Stage 2/final appeal email and post it here for any input/advice from anyone. I don’t see why the activate ticket message is not mentioned earlier in process, done means done to me. They may disagree but worth a shot.

As previously mentioned only once I fully clicked into my Zone 1-3 day ticket midway through return journey did I see a blue activate ticket button. I had no reason to go in there as I felt I had an active ticket after purchasing at 12:46pm.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Friday at 17:00 ==

Not sure exactly what tone or how to phrase it, but here’s a rough draft of my stage 2 appeal email. Also not sure if I should stick to the 2000 character limit seeing as I am emailing not using portal.

“Dear Appeals Team,

Thank you for your assistance and for forwarding my Stage 2 appeal directly to a human assessor due to the portal technical difficulties.

Please find my full appeal content and supporting documentation detailed below.

I am formally escalating my appeal to Stage 2 for a managerial assessment. I request that this notice be cancelled under the "exceptional circumstances" clause of your policy on the grounds of mis-selling, misleading consumer interface design, and the contractual unenforceability of hidden terms.

I am an out-of-town visitor from Warwickshire and a first-time network user. In complete good faith, I downloaded the MyMetro app, created an account, and successfully purchased a Zone 1-3 Day Off-Peak ticket at 12:46 PM (Evidence Attached). This was bought hours prior to my inspection.

I urge the review manager to overturn this PFN based on the following three structural grounds, which are directly supported by the attached app-flow screenshots:

1. Misleading Purchase Flow and Concluded Transaction ("Done")

During the purchase flow, the MyMetro app explicitly prompts the user to "Select all the stations that you would like to travel to today." This anchors the user’s attention to the fact that they are buying a live ticket for immediate use. Upon clicking the prominent "PURCHASE TICKET" button and completing payment, the app displays a confirmation pop-up stating: "Payment successful. Your ticket can now be found in My Tickets," accompanied by a single action button labelled "Done".

A reasonable consumer, having specified the travel date as "today" and being told the process is completely "Done," holds a legitimate expectation that they possess valid authority to travel. The app provides no direct link to an activation screen, nor does it provide a prominent warning that the ticket remains legally invalid until a manual activation sequence is triggered.

2. Complete Absence of Layout Cues and the Hidden 2-Minute Delay Trap

As this was the first and only ticket on my newly created account, my "My Tickets" section was completely blank prior to purchase. Upon clicking "Done", the app provided no visual prompts or layout suggestions indicating that the user must manually click into the newly listed ticket to find a hidden activation screen.

Furthermore, the app enforces an artificial, built-in 2-minute countdown delay upon activation. Nowhere during the pre-purchase or final payment screen is it made clear that a paid ticket remains legally invalid for a minimum of two minutes after this secondary action is discovered.

Upon realising mid-journey on my return leg that an activation step existed, I immediately pressed activate. When the inspector approached me at 17:01, my ticket was actively running through this 2-minute activation countdown sequence. While this delay is understandably designed to prevent fraudulent "panic-buying" upon spotting an inspector, my attached timestamps prove I bought this Day Ticket hours earlier at 12:46 PM. I was an honest customer caught in an anti-fraud mechanism that should not contractually apply to a pre-paid ticket. Under UK consumer protection principles, key restrictive terms cannot be hidden in small print; they must be prominent prior to the final transactional decision.

3. Zero Revenue Loss and Officer Assessment

My ticket was restricted to a single calendar date. It could not be reused or "saved" for another day. Midland Metro Limited suffered absolutely zero revenue evasion or financial detriment. The inspecting officer recognized the unusual, technical nature of this mismatch and explicitly marked the PFN reason as "Other" rather than "No Ticket." (As shown in attachment, (the ticket was fully active shortly after the interaction).

To enforce a penalty against an out-of-town tourist who fully paid for their travel hours in advance, and who was actively misled by the app’s own layout, is entirely disproportionate. I request that this notice be cancelled.”

 

[WesternLancer]

Ok thank you, I will draft up a Stage 2/final appeal email and post it here for any input/advice from anyone. I don’t see why the activate ticket message is not mentioned earlier in process, done means done to me. They may disagree but worth a shot.

As previously mentioned only once I fully clicked into my Zone 1-3 day ticket midway through return journey did I see a blue activate ticket button. I had no reason to go in there as I felt I had an active ticket after purchasing at 12:46pm.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Friday at 17:00 ==

Not sure exactly what tone or how to phrase it, but here’s a rough draft of my stage 2 appeal email. Also not sure if I should stick to the 2000 character limit seeing as I am emailing not using portal.

“Dear Appeals Team,

Thank you for your assistance and for forwarding my Stage 2 appeal directly to a human assessor due to the portal technical difficulties.

Please find my full appeal content and supporting documentation detailed below.

I am formally escalating my appeal to Stage 2 for a managerial assessment. I request that this notice be cancelled under the "exceptional circumstances" clause of your policy on the grounds of mis-selling, misleading consumer interface design, and the contractual unenforceability of hidden terms.

I am an out-of-town visitor from Warwickshire and a first-time network user. In complete good faith, I downloaded the MyMetro app, created an account, and successfully purchased a Zone 1-3 Day Off-Peak ticket at 12:46 PM (Evidence Attached). This was bought hours prior to my inspection.

I urge the review manager to overturn this PFN based on the following three structural grounds, which are directly supported by the attached app-flow screenshots:

1. Misleading Purchase Flow and Concluded Transaction ("Done")

During the purchase flow, the MyMetro app explicitly prompts the user to "Select all the stations that you would like to travel to today." This anchors the user’s attention to the fact that they are buying a live ticket for immediate use. Upon clicking the prominent "PURCHASE TICKET" button and completing payment, the app displays a confirmation pop-up stating: "Payment successful. Your ticket can now be found in My Tickets," accompanied by a single action button labelled "Done".

A reasonable consumer, having specified the travel date as "today" and being told the process is completely "Done," holds a legitimate expectation that they possess valid authority to travel. The app provides no direct link to an activation screen, nor does it provide a prominent warning that the ticket remains legally invalid until a manual activation sequence is triggered.

2. Complete Absence of Layout Cues and the Hidden 2-Minute Delay Trap

As this was the first and only ticket on my newly created account, my "My Tickets" section was completely blank prior to purchase. Upon clicking "Done", the app provided no visual prompts or layout suggestions indicating that the user must manually click into the newly listed ticket to find a hidden activation screen.

Furthermore, the app enforces an artificial, built-in 2-minute countdown delay upon activation. Nowhere during the pre-purchase or final payment screen is it made clear that a paid ticket remains legally invalid for a minimum of two minutes after this secondary action is discovered.

Upon realising mid-journey on my return leg that an activation step existed, I immediately pressed activate. When the inspector approached me at 17:01, my ticket was actively running through this 2-minute activation countdown sequence. While this delay is understandably designed to prevent fraudulent "panic-buying" upon spotting an inspector, my attached timestamps prove I bought this Day Ticket hours earlier at 12:46 PM. I was an honest customer caught in an anti-fraud mechanism that should not contractually apply to a pre-paid ticket. Under UK consumer protection principles, key restrictive terms cannot be hidden in small print; they must be prominent prior to the final transactional decision.

3. Zero Revenue Loss and Officer Assessment

My ticket was restricted to a single calendar date. It could not be reused or "saved" for another day. Midland Metro Limited suffered absolutely zero revenue evasion or financial detriment. The inspecting officer recognized the unusual, technical nature of this mismatch and explicitly marked the PFN reason as "Other" rather than "No Ticket." (As shown in attachment, (the ticket was fully active shortly after the interaction).

To enforce a penalty against an out-of-town tourist who fully paid for their travel hours in advance, and who was actively misled by the app’s own layout, is entirely disproportionate. I request that this notice be cancelled.”

Not a comment on the specifics but I suggest anything that can make it shorter might be beneficial.

 

[sootheduck]

Massively shortened the appeal so it was below 2000 characters and sent it via email to ashelpdesk@ital-uk.com as they suggested. Will update with any further information.

 

[Adam Williams]

The timer is there I presume to stop people speed buying a ticket on the app when they notice RPOs

There is really no need for this nonsense, just put the purchase time in the barcode (they do have a barcode, right?) like the rail industry does. If it's purchased after the revenue boarded and you are confident the passenger was on-board prior to that, you can take action.

Bus (and tram) people really seem to love mTickets, I really don't get why. They're almost universally terribly-implemented.

 

[CyrusWuff]

There is really no need for this nonsense, just put the purchase time in the barcode (they do have a barcode, right?) like the rail industry does. If it's purchased after the revenue boarded and you are confident the passenger was on-board prior to that, you can take action.

WM Metro ticketing is, to put it bluntly, awful.


On the left is an Off-Peak Day ticket bought through their app. It's fulfilled as an m-ticket, but the only animation is the countdown to expiry. Unlike a Digital Railcard (and numerous bus m-tickets), the animation isn't dynamic based on sensors within the device.

On the right is a Single ticket bought from a Cammax TVM at a tram stop. The sole "security" being the ticket stock has WM Metro logos on the reverse.

 

[318266]

There is really no need for this nonsense, just put the purchase time in the barcode (they do have a barcode, right?) like the rail industry does. If it's purchased after the revenue boarded and you are confident the passenger was on-board prior to that, you can take action.

Bus (and tram) people really seem to love mTickets, I really don't get why. They're almost universally terribly-implemented.

Usually, bus/tram tickets are all-day tickets for unlimited travel, compared to rail which is usually single-leg ticketing (taking a return as 2 single-legs). If the ticket is tied to a specific phone, then it can't be transferred like a rail e-ticket could be via e-mail or otherwise.

 

[Adam Williams]

If the ticket is tied to a specific phone, then it can't be transferred like a rail e-ticket could be via e-mail or otherwise.

Of course it can, it just takes a bit more effort. There's no security in relying on an end-user's phone whatsoever.

The difference with rail E-Tickets is that you can look at the usage patterns because the scans get recorded and the security is in the barcode, and then conclude whether it's being misused or not.