A new campaign is being launched on Monday 11th August to target people who avoid buying tickets on Manchester Metrolink. GMPTE and Stagecoach, owners and operators respectively, are working together to try and reduce the levels of fare evasion across the network,
Inspectors will be targeting stops across the network and posters are being put up at stops and on the trams warning people they risk a charge of £80 if they travel without a ticket.
Philip Purdy, GMPTE’s Metrolink Director, said: “The overwhelming majority of passengers make sure that they have bought a ticket before getting on a tram. This campaign will target those people who think they can get away with using the trams for free. The money we make from fares helps to cover the cost of operating the trams. It is totally unfair that law abiding passengers should have to share Metrolink with people who refuse to pay for the cost of their journeys. There are giant signs at every stop that make it clear people have to buy a ticket before getting on a tram, so there are no excuses for travelling without one."
Anyone caught without a ticket may be charged an on-the-spot fare of up to £80. People who do not pay within 21 days will be prosecuted and could face a fine of over £1,000 of three months imprisonment.
Source: GMPTE