
Metro customers who use Pop Pay As You Go (PAYG) on phones or smart cards will see prices frozen for the second year in a row, as part of an annual review of Metro fares which comes into effect from this Saturday, 1 April.
Customers who switch from buying paper tickets will save more than £1 a day by making the change to Pop PAYG on Android’s Google Pay or by getting a free smart card online from the Nexus website.
We are also bringing detailed plans for young people before local councillors , including a new £1 single fare for those aged 21 and under.
Other Metro fares, including standard season tickets, singles, and day tickets, are rising from Saturday, 1 April, in order to help meet Metro’s increased running costs as it faces the ongoing challenge of high inflation and higher energy bills.
The recent Metro £2 one way and £4 all day offer also ends on 31 March 2023.
But customers who switch to PAYG will save 95p per one zone Metro journey, and £1.05 for every two and three zone journey.
Current prices for young people aged 16 to 21 using Pop Blue or Pop 19-21 smartcards are also being frozen, ahead of a new proposal for a £1 flat single fare which will be put forward by Nexus at the Tyne and Wear Sub-Committee of the North East Joint Transport Committee on 6 April.
Nexus is proposing the new fare on Metro as well as the Shields Ferry to match a similar 21 and under fare the Government is subsidising on buses in North East England. If approved, it would come into effect from 7 May.
Gold Cards for older and disabled customers are also being frozen in price for another year, Nexus has confirmed.
Customer Services Director at Nexus, Huw Lewis, said: “We are doing all we can afford to provide good value to people using Metro, by freezing the price of Pop Pay As You Go travel, and travel for young people aged up to 22, older people and disabled customers.
“While some tickets will rise in price in our annual fare review, it is simple to avoid paying more for Metro travel, or even cut the cost of your journey, by switching from paper tickets to Pop Pay As You Go on android or on a smart card.
“Metro is a public service run without profit, so all the revenue we get from fares goes back into maintaining and operating the network. At a time of rising prices generally we have focussed on providing value wherever we can to our customers.
“If you are already using Pop Pay As You Go, prices will be frozen for a second year – that’s the same price people were paying in the spring of 2021. Customers will save more than £1 a day by getting this product, either by getting a free Pop card by applying for one online or through Google Pay if you have an Android smartphone.
“This is the second year running that we have frozen the price of our PAYG product in order to help our customers with the rising cost of living. A third of adult customers are already using Pop Pay As You Go and we will continue to encourage more people to go smart and enjoy the lowest fares that we have on offer.”
He added: “Single and day tickets and season tickets are going up an average of 7.5% from this Saturday. This is in order to help us meet the challenge we face with higher Metro running costs, not least the big jump in the price of our high voltage power.”