Penalty fares for travelling on the Metro without a ticket will increase by £80 and passengers caught will not be able to pay on the spot.
The penalty fare will rise to £100 from January 2023, in line with the new minimum penalties for travelling without a ticket across England's rail network. The penalty is cut to £50 if paid within 21 days.
Fare evasion on the Tyne and Wear Metro costs Nexus £1m a year in lost revenue.
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Customer Services Director, Huw Lewis, said: “The Government is raising the penalty fare from £20 to £100, or £50 if paid within 21 days, and this change will automatically apply to Metro.
“Metro is part of the Government’s national penalty fare regime covering train companies across the whole country.
“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.”
The DfT said: “Fare evasion costs train operators, rail passengers and taxpayers who ultimately subsidise the journeys of those who deliberately travel by train without paying the correct fare.
“The Rail Delivery Group estimates that in a normal year around £240 million is lost through fare evasion on Great Britain’s railways.
“When set against the profound impact coronavirus has had on passenger numbers and industry revenues, it’s never been more important to minimise the cost of fare evasion to the railways.”
The penalty for Metro fare evasion, which is set by the Government, has been at £20 since May 2005.
Tyne Wear Metro operator Nexus will cease taking on-the-spot payments for penalty fares on Tuesday November 1, 2022.
Until Tuesday November 1, passengers caught by the ticket checkers have the option to instantly pay the £20 fine and avoid prosecution. But from Tuesday, they will have to pay online, over the phone, by post or in person at South Gosforth Control Centre.
Nexus has a new payment portal which it says makes it easier to pay.
Nexus says those who do not pay the penalty will be taken to court. Passengers have the right to appeal.
Select Metro stations have barriers, including Newcastle Airport, Gateshead, Monument, Jesmond, Newcastle Central, St James and Haymarket, but much of the network around Tyneside and Wearside relies on a mix of honesty from passengers and ticket inspections from staff known colloquially as 'checkies'.
Passengers whose tickets are loaded onto smartcards can validate their tickets at every station across the network.
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