2020 fare announcements just keep on a coming! The latest system to make their announcement is the Tyne and Wear Metro where there will, once again, be fare increases with Single and Day tickets set to rise by 10p but more positive news is the freezing of all tickets for those aged 18 and savings for Pop Pay As You Go smartcard holders. There will also be a new family ticket introduced for use at weekends.
These new fares have been agreed by the Joint Transport Committee (Tyne and Wear sub-committee) at a meeting on 21st November and the increases are required to help Nexus meet the running costs of the Tyne and Wear Metro and they are keen to point out the fares do remain some of the cheapest in the country.
All single and return tickets on the Tyne and Wear Metro will be increased by 10p with examples included a one zone single up to £2.00 from £1.90 and an all zone Day Ticket increasing to £5.30 from £5.20.
But its not all bad news as anyone who uses a Pop Pay As You Go card will be able to save 45p on single fares and 55p on day tickets, once again showing the benefit for regular travellers to convert from cash fares. All tickets for those aged 18 and under will also see a complete freeze and the Student Metro Season Ticket offers a 30% discount on adult fares.
The headline of the fares release is the all new weekend Metro Family ticket which will allow up to three children aged 11 and under to travel for free when accompanied by a fare paying adult.
Tobyn Hughes, Managing Director of Nexus, said: “This is an exciting offer that delivers affordable Metro travel for families who rely on our services to get around. We gave a firm commitment to look at improved ticketing offers to attract more families and this is what we are going to deliver in 2020. Our offer means that up to three children aged 11 and under will be able to enjoy free weekend travel on Metro, which is excellent value for money. Metro is part of everyday life in Tyne and Wear, and we want people to use the system for family days out. In 2020 we will celebrate Metro’s 40th anniversary and we want to attract future generations to use the service for many years to come. Our overall package of fares for 2020 delivers good value for our passengers. Metro will continue to have some of the cheapest fares in the country. Anyone who switches to a Pay As You Go Pop card will still be able to continue to enjoy a very good discount on the cost of their Metro travel. Other fares are going up in order to help us to meet Metro’s running costs. Metro is a public service that doesn’t make a profit and gets a Government subsidy to keep it running, so fare revenue is vital.”
The new fares are due to be introduced from 2nd January 2020 – and as mentioned in the quote above 2020 is the 40th anniversary of the Tyne and Wear Metro, one of several systems and heritage lines to celebrate a significant anniversary next year.
* The new fare headlines can be downloaded here.