It has been confirmed that the “contactless early bird bonus” will be launched on Manchester Metrolink from Monday 17th February. This will allow anyone travelling before 0700 on weekdays a saving on the anytime travelcard with the aim of reducing congestion and giving passengers better value for money.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, made a commitment to this new pricing structure as part of the Mayor’s Congestion Deal and after a pilot scheme in 2018 it has been decided to roll it out fully across the Metrolink network.
To benefit from this offer anyone using Metrolink just needs to touch-in at the smart reader with their contactless card before 0700. They then just need to touch out as normal at the end of their journey and this can be after 0700. As long as any other journeys that day are not made between 0700 and 0930 they will be eligible for a 1 day travelcard capped at the off-peak rate. It is only available with contactless cards and not if buying a paper ticket from a machine.
Andy Burnham said: “I’m delighted to see TfGM introduce this new contactless version of ‘early bird’ for tram customers – not only does it make it easier for people to travel by public transport and beat the traffic, it also helps them save some money too. Hopefully the offer will tempt more people to try Metrolink instead of jumping in the car in the morning. Congestion is a big problem across Greater Manchester and it’s one that’s exacerbated during the morning peak when everyone is commuting at the same time. We all have a role to play if we’re to tackle congestion but by encouraging people out of their cars and onto Metrolink, one of the greenest forms of transport, we’re also tackling air pollution as well.”