A special youth court event has been held to clampdown on under-18’s caught fare-dodging on the Metrolink network.
Organised by operator Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd, the event was held at Bury Magistrates Court and resulted in 16 youths from the Oldham area being fined a total of £2,629.20.
The youths were taken to court after failing to pay a standard fare charge, which is issued to anyone caught travelling on the network without a valid ticket.
Greater Manchester’s Travelsafe Unit (TSU) has worked with Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd to carry out a number of proactive operations targeting fare-dodging on the network.The operations follow on from a TSU crackdown on unpaid fines in September this year, which resulted in nine arrests for a variety of offences.
Since the unit was established 18 months ago, uniformed TSU officers have also been proactively visiting schools across the region to educate youngsters on the dangers, impacts and consequences of crime, antisocial behaviour and fare evasion on public transport.
The unit has also taken part in a number of recent Crucial Crew events, delivering vital safety and security information to thousands of children across the region.
TfGM Metrolink Director, Peter Cushing, said: “Tackling fare evasion is extremely important, particularly as it sometimes goes hand-in-hand with other types of anti-social behaviour.
“Progressing these cases to court is not a decision that has been taken lightly, but we need to challenge the mind-set among some people that it is acceptable to try and ride the tram for free, particularly those who fail to engage with us or that fail to pay if caught fare dodging.
“It is a vital responsibility of TfGM as the owner of Metrolink, Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd as the operator and the TSU to change the behaviours and attitudes of these young people now, to prevent them from committing further offences in the future and facing more severe punishments.
“Public transport is a safe way to travel in Greater Manchester but it is important that we continue to work together to help reinforce and maintain that through targeted interventions and proactive operations.”
Carla Taylor, Revenue Recovery Manager at Metrolink RATP Dev, said: “Our figures over the past 12 months show young people under the age of 18 are responsible for 20% of all fare evasion. Of that amount, 64% are aged between 16 and 17 which is what prompted us to tackle the issue head on among this age group.
“Taking anyone to court, especially a young person, is not a priority for us and we view it as a last resort.
“Our main focus is to look at the bigger picture and educate young people around the consequences of not buying a valid ticket before travelling on Metrolink. We’ve done a lot of work with schools, colleges and academies in known hot-spot areas to provide a better understanding of the impact of fare evasion.
“So far, this has proved extremely successful with many not being aware they could be prosecuted for not having a valid ticket and that all our trams and platforms are fitted with CCTV. Over the coming months we will continue to work with schools to address the behaviours of students around fare evasion.”
This was the fourth dedicated court event held to prosecute under 18s for transport-related offences.
The TSU comprises a team of police constables, special constables and security personnel. Led by TfGM and Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the scheme allows contributing operators – Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd, First Manchester and Stagecoach – to share intelligence as well as crime and antisocial behaviour data.
The scheme has been funded for three years but will be subject to formal annual reviews and regular scrutiny by a strategy group made up of members from organisations involved.
