Metro fare dodging down near pre-pandemic levels
Fare evasion on the Tyne and Wear Metro appears to have dropped back to close to pre-pandemic levels.
The rail service's operator Nexus estimated fares had been dodged on about 4.6% of journeys in 2024. This is down from the 8.3% level it estimated in 2021 and closer to the 4.0% recorded in 2019.
Nexus operations director Kevin Storey said the company had worked "extremely hard" to reduce ticket fraud.
Kevin Dickinson, who runs the Sort out the Metro Facebook group, said the drop could also be due to the Metro becoming free in 2021 for children aged below 11 who travelled with an adult.
Nexus said it had made its estimates using a team of researchers who survey people on the Metro.
"While this is based on passengers admitting they don't have a ticket, our team of researchers do not issue penalty fares and act as neutral surveyors," a spokesperson said.
Mr Dickinson said it was "good to see" fare evasion was dropping on the rail service but suggested that if this was due to some children aged below 11 no longer having to pay for the service, it did not mean an increase in revenue.
He also said the figures did not take into account the fact that the annual number of journeys on the Metro had yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, which also affected income levels.
The data, provided following a freedom of information (FOI) request, showed there were more than 34.5m journeys on the Metro in 2019 compared to 30.9m in 2024.
Nexus said a major factor behind the fall in fare evasion was the penalty fine for not buying a ticket rising from £20 to £100 in January 2023.
"This has undoubtedly made people think twice about travelling without a ticket," said Mr Storey.
He said 75% of Metro journeys had to pass through ticket gates and new barriers would be installed at Regent Centre this year.
"Metro is a public service and doesn't make a profit," said Mr Storey.
"Every penny that we receive in fares helps to meet the cost of operating the system."
Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
All new Metro trains pulled from service
Metro Bashers find fellowship in front carriage
First new Metro train runs after lengthy delays
Nexus
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Fox News
Dozens injured after driver plows through crowd of Liverpool soccer fans during victory parade
Police arrested the driver of a minivan on Monday after authorities say he plowed into a crowd of Liverpool, United Kingdom, soccer fans, injuring dozens who were celebrating the city's soccer team's Premier League Championship. Police identified the driver as a 53-year-old British man from the Liverpool area. Police also said they believe this was an isolated incident, adding that they do not believe anyone else was involved. The incident is not being investigated as an act of terrorism. Dave Kitchin of North West Air Ambulance said during a press conference on Monday that 27 people were taken to the hospital, with two suffering serious injuries, and another 20 people were treated at the scene for minor injuries. At least four children were injured. One of those children sustained serious injuries. Firefighters who responded to the scene had to lift the van to free three adults and one child, who were trapped beneath it. A cyclist paramedic on the scene was also struck by the van, though authorities said he did not sustain injuries. Merseyside Police said in a post on X that it was investigating reports of a collision in Liverpool city center, after being contacted after 6 p.m. on Monday that a car had collided with multiple pedestrians on Water Street. Police added that the vehicle stopped at the scene and a man was detained. "We would ask people not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding tonight's incident on Water Street in Liverpool city centre," police said in another post. "We can confirm the man arrested is a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area. Extensive [inquiries] are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision." Police asked the public to not share "distressing content" online, but instead to send the footage or information to the Merseyside Police or to Crimestoppers. Video posted to social media prior to the police department's request to not share information online, showed a gray minivan striking at least one pedestrian before veering into a larger crowd of people, carving a path through the group and pushing bodies along the street like a plow before coming to a stop. The Associated Press spoke with Harry Rashid, who was at the Liverpool parade with his wife and two young daughters. Rashid said the car began ramming people about 10 feet away from him. "It was extremely fast," he said. "Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post on X that he was being kept up to date on developments regarding the situation and asked that police be given the space needed to conduct their investigation. "The scenes in Liverpool are appalling – my thoughts are with all those injured or affected," he wrote. "I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident." The incident came after a large celebration in the city center, where tens of thousands of dancing, scarf-and-flag-waving fans braved wet weather to line the streets and watch Liverpool's players display the Premier League trophy from on top of two buses bearing the words, "Ours Again." Rashid told the AP that after the van struck its initial victims, it stopped and the crowd charged the vehicle, smashing its windows. "But then he put his foot down again and just plowed through the rest of them, he just kept going," Rashid said, alleging the incident appeared deliberate. "It was horrible. And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people." "My daughter started screaming and there were people on the ground," he added. "They were just innocent people, just fans going to enjoy the parade."
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Fox News
Police use water cannon in response to anti-immigrant violence in Northern Ireland town
Demonstrators pelted police with bricks, bottles and fireworks and set vehicles alight on Tuesday in a second night of anti-immigrant violence in the Northern Ireland town of Ballymena. Police used water cannon and plastic baton rounds in an attempt to disperse a crowd of several hundred people in the town 25 miles (40 km) north of Belfast. Violence erupted Monday after a peaceful march to show support for the family of the victim of an alleged sexual assault on the weekend. Two 14-year-old boys have been charged. The suspects have not been identified because of their age. They were supported in court by a Romanian interpreter. Several houses were set on fire on the first night of disorder on Monday. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said 15 officers were injured. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said officers were "actively working to identify those responsible for last night's racially motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice." He said the violence should be "loudly condemned by all right thinking people. "Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced," he said.
CBS News
9 hours ago
- CBS News
"Rioting and disorder" in Ballymena, Northern Ireland sees "hate-fueled acts" reportedly targeting foreigners
London — Hundreds of masked demonstrators attacked officers during a second night of "rioting and disorder" in the Northern Ireland town of Ballymena on Tuesday, injuring 17 officers, according to police. The Northern Ireland police condemned the unrest on Wednesday, saying 32 officers had been injured in total since the disorder — reportedly an explosion of simmering racial tension — was sparked by an alleged sexual assault in the town. "The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable," Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said in a statement. "Hate-fueled acts and mob rule do nothing but tear at the fabric of our society. They resolve nothing and serve no one." At least five people were arrested overnight, as four houses were damaged by fire and demonstrators smashed windows of homes and businesses, according to CBS News' partner network BBC News. Police respond to a second night of violence in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, as people take part in what the police called "rioting and disorder," sparked by an alleged sexual assault in the Country Antrim town, June 10, 2025. Niall Carson/PA Images/Getty "Police officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction," the Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a statement. The protests began just hours after two 14-year-old boys appeared in a court Monday over the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl in the town. BBC News said the boys had communicated through a Romanian interpreter. Ballymena has a large immigrant population, according to AFP news agency. Residents described the violence as "terrifying" and told AFP that "foreigners" were being targeted. A burned out house is seen following a second night of violence in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, during unrest sparked by an alleged sexual assault case, June 11, 2025. Multiple cars and properties were set on fire in Ballymena while rioters hurled petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry at police officers. Niall Carson/PA Images/Getty A Romanian resident in Ballymena told the Irish Times newspaper on Tuesday that she had put a British flag on her front window to avoid being targeted. Northern Ireland lawmaker Paul Frew told BBC Radio that he feared the violence could turn deadly, saying tension in the town had been rising for a while, and people were "frightened about illegal immigration." There has been no confirmed information about the immigration status of the teenagers who appeared in court on Monday.
