 Giant Frog spotted at Metro station (11/01/2006)
A giant green frog will be taking to the Metro tomorrow to officially launch a fantastic new travel opportunity for passengers. The Metro Hopper ticket - represented by the distinctive logo of a frog - will provide customers with excellent value for money, say Nexus. The ticket offers unlimited travel in one zone for one day for only £2 and £1.60 during off peak periods. It is for use within one Metro zone, either A, B or C, and is geared to encourage more people to use Metro for shorter journeys. Metro Director Ken Mackay said: “The Metro Hopper is without doubt excellent value for passengers’ money and is a great incentive for people to hop on and off the Metro whether it’s for visiting friends or relations. “We want more people to use Metro to make short journeys and this is a fantastic way of attracting even more customers on to the system.” The Hopper is being introduced as part of Metro annual review of fares, which was agreed by the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority in November. There are four major positives for Metro passengers to look forward to in the New Year. 1. An all zone annual ticket is coming down by a whopping 27 percent, from £550 to £399 - offering travel all over the system for little more than £1 a day. 2. The price of a one week Metro Saver pass is coming down by 21 percent and its four week equivalent will be down by 20 percent. 3. The one zone single fare is being frozen, so people can still travel in any Metro zone for just £1.30. 4. The cost of one-zone returns is also unchanged, but purchasers will be able to use that ticket as many times as they like provided they keep within that zone. Director General of Nexus, Mike Parker, said: “We feel this year’s review reflects Metro’s competitive edge, offering passengers great value for money and more flexible travel on the system. “Many fares have been frozen and there are greater incentives for regular passengers to buy Metro Savers and season tickets and make huge savings, which will attract more people on to the Metro in 2006.” He added: “This builds on the new zonal system we introduced in the summer and we believe it will encourage more people to use Metro while meeting the increased costs of operating the system and making improvements to safety and security. “We feel the small number of increases in this review will be far outweighed by the positive effects of the overall package. Getting on the Metro will still be good value for money and it’s ideal for beating the growing levels of traffic congestion on the roads across Tyneside and Wearside.”
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