West Midlands Metro has introduced more ways to pay for tram travel as the network prepares to transition to Buy Before You Board ticketing and the enforcement of £100 penalty fares for anyone travelling without a valid ticket.
Additional quick and easy-to-use ticket machines are being installed across the network, giving customers another way to buy a ticket or top up a Swift card when they arrive at a tram stop.
The move marks the start of the transition to off-tram ticketing, which also includes tough enforcement penalties for anyone trying to avoid buying a ticket.
Michael Reading-Skilton, Metro’s Head of Commercial & Customer Experience, explained:
“While ticket vending machines aren’t new to the network, these additional ones mean there are at least two at every stop to help prevent queues building up at peak times.
“Their arrival marks another milestone on our journey towards off-tram ticketing, a system that’s proved so successful on other tramways across the country.
“With more ticket machines across the network, our MyMetro mobile app and season tickets on a Swift card, customers now have more ways than ever to buy a valid ticket before they travel.”
Customers will still be able buy tickets on board during the first part of the transition period, with Metro’s on-tram team available to help anyone using the new ticketing options.
Revenue officers will be introduced across the network over the coming weeks as the Buy Before You Board system is rolled out. Once fully implemented in the early autumn, customers will be expected to have a valid ticket before boarding, with penalty fares in place for anyone travelling without one.