Tyne and Wear Metro fare penalty to rise to £100 later in January

The penalty for not having a ticket on the Tyne and Wear Metro is set to rise from £20 to £100 later this month.

The change is part of The Department for Transport's (DfT) crackdown on rail fair evasion across England and Wales.

Metro operator Nexus said that fare evasion costs them £1m a year in lost revenue.

The new penalty fare will come into force on Monday 23 January, and will be reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days.

Huw Lewis, customer services director at Nexus, said: “This is the first change since 2005 and reflects feedback from customers who want to see a strong deterrent against fraud.

“The Government consulted the whole rail industry and Nexus was among those keen to see an increase, because customers tell us they want tougher penalties for those who decide not to pay their fare.

“The simple message for Metro customers is to pay your fare every time you travel.”

Nexus said that failure to pay the penalty fare will be taken to court, and will face much steeper fines.

The firm added that customers will be unable to pay Metro penalty fares on the spot.

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