Hucknall and Bulwell tram fare-dodgers face £70 fine in zero tolerance crackdown

NET says it has a ‘zero tolerance’ for fare-dodgers and will be issuing £70 fines for anyone who boards the service without a ticket.

Trevor Stocker, head of operations at NET, has outlined some of the problems facing the tram service ahead of a Nottingham City Council meeting on July 12.

Mr Stocker outlined the main problems facing the network between February and May 2022.

He said a joint operation with Nottinghamshire Police has been tackling anti-social behaviour on trams.

He said: “As Covid restrictions were eased, like many other transport operators, we have experienced an increase in incidents, including damage to ticket vending machines, validators and tram windows.

“A number of NET employees have also been subjected to verbal abuse.

"We are working closely with local police, British Transport Police, community policing teams, city centre management, and other transport operators, to share trends and intelligence.

“Thanks to our extensive CCTV coverage, partnership working, and proactive policing with uniformed and plain clothed patrols, a number of arrests have been made.”

Incidents involving anti-social behaviour also included school children on the tracks in some places.

He said NET has also operated a ‘zero tolerance’ fare evasion campaign.

He continued: “The campaign has seen a variety of operations taking place across the network, often with police support.

“Customers without valid tickets have been issued £70 penalty fare notices, with a percentage of income from these fines being donated to a Ukrainian refugee charity.”