PLANS to double the penalty for train fare dodgers have been welcomed by the operator of the Tyne and Wear Metro.
Nexus says passengers who travel without paying cost it hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost fares a year. It runs a high-profile anti-fraud campaign and prosecutes those caught without tickets.
Now the minimum penalty for someone without a ticket will rise from £10 to £20 on May 2, following an announcement by Transport Minister Tony McNulty.
Both Nexus and the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority have lobbied the Government in recent years to increase the penalty fare.
Mike Parker, director-general of Nexus, said: "We have argued that the £10 fare was simply not a sufficient deterrent.
"This change by the Government gives us that stronger deterrent when tackling fare evaders and we applaud it."
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