Tyne and Wear Metro bosses have defended charging Take That fans for a special travel ticket that is more expensive than North East mayor’s fare cap, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Daniel Holland.
Since April this year, the cost of a full day of travel on the Metro has been capped at £5 by mayor Kim McGuinness for passengers who use a Pop pay as you go (PAYG) card.
But transport bosses have launched a new digital day ticket ahead of Tuesday night’s Take That concert at the Stadium of Light at a higher price.
It has been advertised at £7 and is available to buy through the Metro’s Pop app.
Messages on the Metro’s social media channels and in the Pop app itself encouraged people on Tuesday to “skip the ticket machine queues and sort your travel now” by purchasing the ticket in advance.
Metro operator Nexus told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the ticket was intended “for the convenience of visitors to the region, who would not ordinarily have a Pop card”.
However, that was not mentioned in the travel advice issued to concert-goers ahead of Tuesday’s gig.
The concert travel section of the Nexus website also did not state that Pop card users would be able to travel to and from the Stadium of Light for no more than £5.
While the Metro has marketed one-off tickets previously to make travel easier for people heading to events like the Great North Run, this is the first time that one has been available digitally.
The £7 Take That travel ticket mirrors the price of the most expensive paper day ticket that can be purchased from Metro station ticket machines, but is valid only in Metro zones A, B, and C – not on Northumberland Line trains on the route from Newcastle to Ashington.
Over recent years, Metro bosses have kept Pop PAYG ticket prices significantly lower than paper tickets in a bid to encourage more passengers to switch to the smartcard, which is available digitally on Android phones as well as in a physical card.
Reducing the cost of printing thousands of paper tickets every day has been one factor in that move.
Asked why the Take That digital ticket price had been set at £7 rather than in line with the mayor’s £5 cap, Nexus commercial director Helen Matthews said: “The Take That concert has given us the opportunity to pilot a new digital event ticket, which for the first time ever has been available to buy through our Pop App.
“This product is for the convenience of visitors to the region, who would not ordinarily have a Pop card, and who want the ease of paying for the Metro in advance, avoiding queues at ticket machines, and then having that ticket readily available on their smartphone.
“All customers still have the option to choose Pop Pay As You Go (PAYG) if they want to benefit from the fare cap. We are not diverting from our usual pricing strategy.
“The Mayor’s Fares £5 daily cap applies to Pop PAYG, whereas the special event ticket is not a PAYG product. It aligns with the all-zone Metro day ticket price at £7.00.
“This is a trial of a digital version of that product on the Pop App, available on both Android and iOS devices. We are reviewing how well this has performed ahead of future events in the region which are served by the Tyne and Wear Metro.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service in North Shields on Tuesday, Ms McGuinness added: “The fare is still capped on Pop card in the same way it would be any other day, so anyone travelling to the Take That concert using a Pop card will still get their £5 fare cap and all their travel throughout the rest of the day.”
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
