FARE dodging tram passengers are costing Metrolink around £9 millon a year after revelations 12- per-cent of all journeys are not paid for.
Fares were due to rise by an average of 5.93-per-cent from January 2018, but costs will vary between individual tickets.
Now Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) bosses are being urged to introduce more enforcement officers and “ruthlessly prosecute non-payers”.
The call comes from Shaw councillor, Howard Sykes MBE, an Oldham Council representative on the TfGM committee.
It is estimated one in eight Metrolink passengers are fare-dodgersm leading Councillor Sykes to say: “Rather than hammering the honest passenger, transport bosses need to focus on tackling fare evasion.
“12-per-cent non-payment is a disgrace. Everyone should pay their ‘fare share’, so we say tackle the fare-dodgers.
“Oldham Liberal Democrats are flatly opposed to Labour plans (supported by the Conservatives) to put up fares for honest Metrolink passengers by an inflation-busting 19-per-cent by 2020 when one in eight passengers travel free.
“Labour goes on constantly about austerity and workers having to tighten their belts when at the same time the Labour-controlled Transport for Greater Manchester is hitting these very workers in the pocket by increasing Metrolink fares by such an astronomical amount.
“This will send out all of the wrong signals. Commuters will be put off using the tram and if they do they may be more inclined not to get a ticket.
“There are 40 million tram journeys a year, so fare-dodging is estimated to cost Metrolink about £9 million in lost revenue a year.
“Rather than hammering the honest passenger, transport bosses need to focus on tackling fare evasion.
“We need more enforcement officers on the line at more times and we need to ruthlessly prosecute non-payers.”
Putting the prices up so much just means more people not paying & jumping on. My wife and I got on a tram approx 22:00 from Oldham to Shaw (we had return tickets) we waited a while for the tram to arrive that I said to my wife shall we get on the next 1 which was 3 mins after it .as there was a load of people waiting to get on.The tram pulled up with ticket inspectors at each door. Luckily no 1 got on the tram only my wife and I. Don’t know if the inspectors waited further down the line.
well they must make about the same a year off the public .when the machines don’t give tickets out after putting money in them ,and there’s never anyone around to speak to .so how do you travel then?
you have to put more money in the machine ,if you have it .