Anyone caught travelling on West Midlands Metro without a valid ticket or pass will now face a £100 Penalty Fare following the full implementation of ‘Buy Before You Board’ arrangements.
The warning comes as the network operator steps up enforcement of the new rules after withdrawing conductors from trams on Sunday 13th of September.
Michael Reading-Skilton, Metro’s Head of Commercial and Customer Experience, explained: “Over the past few weeks, our recently deployed team of Revenue Officers have been offering support and advice to customers while inspecting tickets and passes.
“This educational approach has helped people get used to the system, but customers now expect us to take action when someone is found travelling without a ticket.
The move towards full enforcement of the rules, including issuing £100 Penalty Fares, follows a long-running information campaign by the Metro and significant investment in ways to make it easier than ever to pay for travel, including more ticket machines at stops and upgrades to the MyMetro mobile app.
“Customers can also continue to use Swift cards, including Swift Go, for their trips but they will not be able to buy tickets from Revenue Officers on board the tram,” Michael said.
“If approached by an officer, they must be able to show they have already paid for their journey or face the £100 Penalty Fare,” he added.
Further information about Buy Before You Board, ways to buy tickets to travel and details on how to pay their £100 Penalty Fare, can be found here