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Chronicle Live

National

Daniel Holland

Tyne and Wear Metro fare rises: What major price hikes will mean for your ticket from April 1

Metro (Facility) Nexus Tyne and Wear Metro Huw Lewis Newcastle Pop (Organization)

A series of major ticket price hikes on the Tyne and Wear Metro are due to come into force later this year.

As bosses at the rail network grapple with how to pay its spiralling bills, the cost of some tickets will be going up by as much as 13.9%. The news has sparked anger among some critics, who have claimed it is “insulting” for operator Nexus to up its fees after its users have endured a period of significant disruption to train services over recent months.

But there are ways for many passengers to dodge the increased fares, with prices being frozen on the Pop Pay As You Go (PAYG) smartcard. Ahead of the big changes in April, below is a full list of the Metro’s new ticket prices – plus answers to other key questions to help you prepare for the changes.

When are fares increasing?

The changes agreed by members of the North East Joint Transport Committee last week will come into force on April 1, 2023.

Are all kinds of Metro tickets affected?

Depending on what kind of ticket you buy, you will be affected differently – some are seeing major fare rises, but some are being frozen completely. The biggest price increase is 13.9% and applies to a one-zone day ticket. Nexus says that fares will be rising overall by an average of 7.5%, including taking the various price freezes into account.

Here is what the changes mean for daily tickets:

Single ticket, one zone - up 13%, from £2.30 to £2.60
Single ticket, two zones - up 12.5%, from £3.20 to £3.60
Single ticket, all zones - up 10.3%, from £3.90 to £4.30
Single, one zone using Pop PAYG - frozen at £1.65
Single, two zones using Pop PAYG - frozen at £2.55
Single, all zones using Pop PAYG - frozen at £3.25
Daily cap on Pop PAYG for one zone - frozen at £2.75
Daily cap on Pop PAYG for two zones - frozen at £3.85
Daily cap on Pop PAYG for all zones - frozen at £4.85
Day ticket, one zone - up 13.9%, from £3.60 to £4.10
Day ticket, two zones - up 10.6%, from £4.70 to £5.20
Day ticket, all zones - up 8.8%, from £5.70 to £6.20
Transfare, one zone - up 11.8%, from £3.40 to £3.80
Transfare, two zones - up 11.6%, from £4.30 to £4.80
Transfare, three zones- up 12%, from £5 to £5.60

A Metro Pop card being used at a ticket gate (Newcastle Chronicle)

This is how season passes will be affected:

Weekly ticket, one zone - up 3.4%, from £11.80 to £12.20
Weekly ticket, two zones - up 2.3%, from £17.60 to £18
Weekly ticket, all zones - up 1.7%, from £24 to £24.40
Four-week ticket, one zone - up 11%, from £41.90 to £46.50
Four-week ticket, two zones - up 10.9%, from £61.50 to £68.20
Four-week ticket, all zones - up 10.9%, from £81.30 to £90.20
Annual ticket, one zone - up 11%, from £462.50 to £513.30
Annual ticket, two zones - up 11%, from £646, to £717
Annual ticket, all zones - up 11%, from £715 to £793.60
Corporate season ticket - up by 8.6%, from maximum of £594 to £645

There are also changes in the prices that students and young people pay:

All prices on the Pop 19-21 PAYG card are being frozen
All prices on the Pop Blue 16-18 PAYG card are being frozen
18 and under Metro one-week ticket - up 11%, from £8.20 to £9.10
18 and under Metro four-week ticket - up 11%, from £31 to £34.40
Junior Blue Under 16 Single PAYG - frozen at £1
Junior Blue Under 16 Day PAYG - up 13.3%, from £1.50 to £1.70
Child Commercial Single - frozen at £1
Child DaySaver - up 13.3%, from £1.50 to £1.70
Child Transfare - frozen at £1.20
Student Metro four-week season ticket for inner Newcastle - up 10.8%, from £28.70 to £31.80
Student Metro four-week season ticket for inner Sunderland - up 10.8%, from £28.70 to £31.80
Student Metro four-week season ticket for all zones - up 10.9%, from £55.80 to £61.90
Student Metro annual ticket for inner Newcastle - up 11%, from £319 to £354
Student Metro annual ticket for inner Sunderland - up 11%, from £319 to £354
Student Metro annual ticket for all zones - up 11%, from £411 to £456.20

The cost of the Metro Gold card, which offers older people and people with disabilities unlimited off peak Metro travel, is also being frozen at £12 per year.

Why are prices going up?

The key reason is the extra costs that Nexus, like every household or business, is facing due to the high levels of inflation. Of particular concern has been the cost of the high voltage power that is used to power the Metro system, with the network’s electricity bills having jumped from an expected £8m to more than £21m this year.

Why are some prices being frozen and others not?

Bosses at Nexus want people to make the switch to travelling using a Pop card instead of buying their tickets at the station, to reduce waste and printing costs. So they are freezing fares for people who use Pop PAYG cards for the second year running, while heavily increasing the cost of the equivalent paper tickets.

Nexus customer services director Huw Lewis said: “Metro customers who use Pop Pay As You Go on phones or smart cards will see prices frozen for the second year in a row – and if you switch from paper tickets to Pop then you can save more than £1 a day from day one. Pop is the best product to travel on Metro. T

"This is the second year running that we have frozen the price of our PAYG product in order to help our customers as much as we can with the rising cost of living. One in four Metro customers are now using Pop Pay As You Go and we will continue to encourage more people to go smart and enjoy the lowest fares that we have.”

How can I get a Pop PAYG card and avoid my fares going up?

You can order a card from Nexus’ website and it is also available via Google Pay on Android smartphones, but not on Apple iPhones. Nexus staff have also been handing out Pop cards at stations during some promotional events.

Are the Metro’s most regular passengers being penalised?

Nexus says it has tried to keep costs down on its most popular tickets. People who regularly buy single or day tickets are being urged to get a Pop PAYG card now, so they can have their prices frozen instead of being hit with the whopping increases being imposed on paper tickets.

The Metro’s weekly tickets, which are the most popular form of season pass, is also getting a far less severe rise than others – going up by no more than 3.4%, with the aim of helping people on lower incomes who cannot afford to buy a longer-term ticket in advance. However, monthly and annual season passes are all going up by around 11%.

Can Nexus not cut fares to help people during the cost of living crisis?

Mr Lewis said: “We have done a lot in the last few years to make travel cheaper. We introduced new flat fares for people aged 18 and under and a new 30% discount for people aged 21 and under. We’ve frozen the price of Pop Pay As You Go journeys since April 2021 and we have introduced Take The Kids For Free to make it cheaper and easier for families to travel in a clean, green way.

“But the pressure we face from rising costs this year means we need an overall increase in fares – and we are being totally up front with customers about this. What we have done is set a balanced package. There are no rises for older people, disabled people or many young people.

“And for millions of journeys there is no reason to pay more if you shop around. By freezing the price on the Pop Pay As You Go option you can avoid the price rise by switching. It’s really that simple.”

Will Nexus make a profit from these fare increases?

No, Nexus does not turn a profit and every penny it raises in fares goes back into funding the operation of the system. In fact, Nexus is facing a budget shortfall of more than £10m next year, which will have to be covered by extra contributions from local councils and by spending some of its reserves.

Mr Lewis said Metro chiefs are “in dialogue with the Government about Metro’s funding and the need for further support with our energy costs”. The fare increases are expected to generate an extra £1.2m

Are fares needing to go up to help Nexus pay for the new trains?

No. The new Metro trains are being entirely paid for directly by the Government, which has provided £362m. Money from fares goes back towards meeting Metro running costs.

What about Shields Ferry tickets?

The cost of a Shields Ferry ticket is going up too, but again this only applies to paper tickets and not Pop cards. This is how prices will change:

Ferry Single - up 9.5%, from £2.10 to £2.30
Ferry Single PAYG - frozen at £1.45
Ferry Day - up 8.8%, from £3.40 to £.70
Ferry Day PAYG - frozen at £2.55
Ferry one-week ticket - up 2.7%, from £11 to £11.30
Ferry four-week ticket - up 11%, from £38.20 to £42.40
Pop Blue/Pop 19-21 Ferry Single - frozen at £1.20
Pop Blue/Pop 19-21 Ferry Day - frozen at £2.20

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