Mayor’s Fares arrive on Metro – delivering customer savings

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness’s plan to improve the affordability of Metro travel came into effect from Wednesday, 1 April.

Single tickets are capped at no more than £2.50, no matter how many zones customers travel in, and many shorter journeys costing less.

Adult single journeys will be capped at a maximum of £2.50 and day tickets at no more than £5.00, when using Pop Pay as You Go (PAYG) card on the Tyne and Wear Metro and on the Northumberland Line.

It heralds the biggest and most significant change to Metro fares for more than 20 years, and will see the Mayor use £1m of funding to cut the cost of travel and grow Metro passenger numbers.

By switching from paper tickets to using a Pop PAYG card, customers will save between £1 and £2.60 on their tickets – up to a 30% saving compared to today’s prices.

The introduction of The Mayor’s Fares to Metro fulfils Mayor Kim’s pledge to make travel more affordable and match the price of bus tickets in the North East. Fares for young people aged up to 21 have also been frozen at £1 until 2027.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “People tell me Metro fares were too high so we’re now carrying out the most significant cuts to them for more than 20 years.

“My vision is for a world-class transport network for the North East, and that has to include fares people can actually afford.

“From 1 April, my Mayor’s Fares cap Metro journeys when using Pop Pay As You Go, meaning passengers pay no more than £2.50 for a single journey or £5 per day, no matter how far they travel.”

John Fenwick, Director of Finance and Resources at Nexus, said: “The Mayor’s Fares are a game changer for our customers, delivering the most affordable Metro travel that we’ve been able to offer for many years.

“It caps Metro single tickets at £2.50, no matter how many zones you travel in, with some single journeys costing less. Customers won’t pay more for a single journey on the Metro than they would on the bus, making public transport simpler to use and Metro more affordable.

“The best way for customers to save is to use Pop PAYG. These are the biggest savings we’ve been able to deliver for our customers in a very long time.

“We have set a balanced package of fares, one that will help us to meet our running costs, support the essential services that we deliver, and offer savings to our customers on the cost of travel.”