Some Manchester Metrolink season tickets are to rise in price from Friday 1st February. This follows a period of four years since the last rise in season tickets, although other ticket prices did go up in November 2007 with a promise that seasons would remain constant until February 2008.
Weekly tickets are to rise by a maximum of 60p and quarterly tickets by a maximum of £7. Four-weekly, annual and child seasons will not see a rise and the average changes remain below the level of inflation since the last season ticket rises.
Michael Renshaw, GMPTE’s Interim Service Delivery Director, said: “We need to increase some Metrolink tickets to keep up with the costs of running the service. We've tried to make sure the rises are as low as possible and many tickets won't be going up at all. Passengers making short journeys on Metrolink won't see any changes to the cost of their fares, and four-weekly and annual season tickets will stay at their current prices. We've also made Metrolink more affordable for families by reducing most weekday family tickets and introducing a special low rate at weekends. It's still much cheaper for passengers who regularly travel on Metrolink to buy a season ticket instead of single or return tickets each weekday. Many passengers will be able to save hundreds of pounds a year on the cost of travel."
The new weekend family ticket costs £5 for a one-day pass and £7 for a two-day version. Up to two adults accompanied by three children can use this special ticket.
Since Stagecoach took control of the Metrolink network all fares are set by the GMPTE.
Source: GMPTE