Nottingham: Tram fare dodging costs £2m a year, says operator

NET said fare dodging was one of many financial challenges it faced

Fare dodgers are costing Nottingham's tram operator about £2m a year, a senior manager has said.

Nottingham Express Transit (NET) has begun a clampdown on those travelling without tickets.

NET generates about £20m annually from ticket sales but an estimated 8% to 10% of passengers are not buying tickets, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The company has said it wants to get that number below 5%.

Tim Hesketh, the chief executive officer of Tramlink - the group of companies behind the network - said: "We've had a very high profile zero-tolerance campaign leading up to Christmas, and that will continue for the foreseeable future."

He told the LDRS cutting fare dodging was important at a time when NET faces considerable financial pressures.

Mr Hesketh said, as well the cost of fare evasion, passenger numbers had not yet returned to pre-Covid levels.

'Constant challenge'

He said the network's energy bill had risen from £3.5m to about £6m a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began driving up prices.

Mr Hesketh said insurance premiums had also risen by £750,000 in the last year due to incidents including cars getting stuck on the tram tracks.

The company has had to restructure its loans so it could afford to pay them, Mr Hesketh said.

Fare revenue makes an addition to the £38m or so received annually from Nottingham City Council through the Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) and government funding.

Mr Hesketh said running a public transport network was a "constant challenge" but that things were looking "very positive".

NET has confirmed ticket prices will go up from 8 January, with an adult single ticket rising by 20p per journey to £3.20.

The operator also announced it will be reducing its adult season ticket by £225 throughout January.