Huge hikes in the cost of Tyne and Wear Metro tickets have been branded “insulting” to passengers who have endured months of major disruption.
It emerged on Thursday that Metro fares could increase by up to 13.9% from April 1, under plans due to be signed off by councillors next week. The massive increases have been blamed on spiralling running costs, including a high voltage power bill of more than £20m, though there is some reprieve as passengers who sign up for a Pop Pay as You Go card will have their fares frozen for the second year running.
But after a catalogue of line closures, reduced timetables, and delays over recent months, the thought of paying substantially more to travel on the Metro will be unpalatable for some. The Sort Out The Metro group told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that regular travellers hit worst by the recent disruption “are now going to end up paying significantly more for a service they are unable to use a lot of the time”.
