More than 1,000 people received fines for travelling without a ticket at Jesmond and West Jesmond Metro stations in 2023, according to data supplied by Nexus to JesmondLocal.

The data, provided to JesmondLocal from Nexus under freedom of information legislation, revealed that 1,039 people received fines.

In total, 698 fines were issued at Jesmond and 341 at West Jesmond respectively – a large drop from the previous calendar year, with the number of fines decreasing in many of the last five years except most notably 2020, when lockdowns hit the nation.

This drop coincides with the increase in fares from £20 to £100 last January. However a fare of only £50, plus the applicable single fare, is charged if the offender pays within 21 days.  

A Nexus spokesperson told JesmondLocal: “Fare evasion remains relatively low for a system the size of the Tyne and Wear Metro, which sees 33 million customer journeys per year. Fraud rates fell in 2020 due to lockdown, when only key workers were using the system.” 

They added: “In January of last year the Government raised the penalty fare from £20 to £100, making it even more costly to travel without a ticket.” 

The change in the level of fine was welcomed by Nexus. “Customers tell us they want tougher penalties for those who decide not to pay.

“The simple message to people is to buy a ticket every time you travel. It makes way more sense than risking a £100 fine.”