Nexus pioneers new technology in the battle against Metro fare evasion.

The handheld computers will allow Nexus to spend less time on paperwork and more time prosecuting prolific fraudsters.

And it means anyone who has been caught cheating in the last three years faces being confronted with their previous record the next time they are stopped - and if necessary sent straight to court to face a criminal record and average fines and costs of more than £120.

Each handheld can issue £20 penalty fare demands at the touch of a button  - but it is also linked to a database, containing the details of fare dodgers from the last three years. This can flag up if a person has been caught before and gives Nexus a greater scope to take swifter action against repeat offenders.

By using the handhelds, Nexus can also prevent people from giving false details to inspectors as the new devices can carry out an immediate electoral role check, and store a person’s description and a digital copy of their signature.

Nexus has spent £30,000 on the handhelds – 25 Microsoft XDAs that fit in the palm of the hand – and after a successful 12 month development programme by the Nexus IT department they are now being used by inspectors across Metro .

The launch has been timed to coincide with a major publicity campaign on Metro, under the slogan of ‘Lie Detector’, to show the public that Nexus staff will be using the handhelds to check people’s details and issue fines.

Metro Director, Mick Carbro, said: “We have a new weapon in the battle against fare evasion and I’m delighted that we are the first railway operator in UK to use this system.

“These handheld devices mean that if you've been caught cheating your fare in the last three years we'll know that the next time we stop you - and if you are a prolific cheat we can choose to send you straight to court, rather than letting you escape with a £20 penalty fare.

“This equipment will really revolutionise how we deal with fare evasion and that's good for fare-paying passengers - because those who travel without a ticket cheat the law-abiding majority by depriving Metro of income."

The handhelds save Metro ticket inspectors huge amounts of time and effort, replacing the previous paper -receipt system of recording penalty fares.

Staff based at the Metro Control Centre in Gosforth will also have less paperwork as all fare dodgers’ details are automatically uploaded from the handheld instead of being typed into the computer by hand.

Nexus’ Fraud and Events Manager, Les Jewitt, said: “These devices will save ticket examiners a great deal of time and effort. We are delighted with them.

“It means they don’t have to spend as long writing out penalty fare notices and then ensuring that person hasn’t given them false details by making a phone call, it’s all now done automatically.

“They also allow us to store that person’s signature straight onto the system along with their description, so if they get caught again they can’t try and avoid it by giving us the wrong information.”

Background

Nexus has driven a million fraudsters off the Metro system in a 12 month period, with the number of fraudulent journeys down from 3.1 million in the year to March 2005 to 2.1 million in the year to March 2006.

With nearly 36 million passengers journeys on Metro over the last year this demonstrates that fare dodging is low for what is an ‘open’ system, without automated barriers.

Nexus has a pro-active anti-fraud strategy in place to combat fare evasion on the Metro network.

This includes high-profile and frequent barrier checks at all Metro stations and on board Metro trains across the system.

Name and shame posters are displayed prominently across the Metro network to expose all those who are taken to court and successfully prosecuted for non-payment of penalty fares.

There are now increased police patrols on Metro with officers capable of issuing penalty fare notices on the spot and this is backed up by Nexus ‘Travel Support Officers (TSOs), who patrol trains during the day and in the evenings.

It is estimated that fare evasion costs Nexus up to £1m a year in lost revenue.

The increase of the standard penalty fare notice from £10 to £20 on May 3 last year has played a major part in discouraging people to board trains without tickets.

The penalty fare increase was introduced nationally after it was argued that £10 just wasn’t enough to dissuade people from fare dodging - and, as predicted by Nexus, the new fine is hitting the fraudsters where it hurts.