Before entering a stations prepaid area, please make sure you have the correct ticket or a validated smartcard for your journey.

Keep your ticket or smartcard handy, you’ll need it to open our automatic ticket gates at stations or to show to staff during a ticket check.

Don’t forget that you need to tap in at the beginning of your journey to validate your smartcard, and to tap out at the end of your journey.

Buying your ticket

All stations have machines selling tickets for travel. You can buy single, day and weekly tickets or top up a Pop Pay As You Go card. Regular travellers can also renew season tickets at Metro ticket machines or buy online and collect at the stations validator or ticket machine.

We appreciate that sometimes it may not be possible to buy a ticket before starting your journey. If that happens, please use a station Help Point to tell us before you travel.

Children

Children under the age of five, travel with an adult for free. Children aged five to 16 can buy Child single and DaySaver tickets for much less than the adult fare.

Concessions are also available for Tyne and Wear youngsters between 5-15, who are entitled to an Under 16 Pop card, letting them travel in Tyne and Wear across all local public transport for a discounted fare.

To find out more visit nexus.org.uk or call 0191 202 0747 (lines are open Monday-Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm, excluding Bank Holidays).

Concessionary Travel

English National Concessionary Travel Pass holders can buy a Gold Card which gives unlimited travel for a year on Metro after 9.30am Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and on bank holidays.

You can buy a Gold Card from any Metro station ticket machine by touching your concessionary travel pass on the orange reader.

Details are available at nexus.org.uk/metro or by calling 0191 202 0747 (lines are open Monday-Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm, excluding Bank Holidays).

Refunds

We always work hard to run our trains on time, but if they are delayed by more than 15 minutes than advertised, you can claim a refund:

• For a delay of more than 15 minutes we will give you back the ticket price of the single Metro journey that was delayed.*
• If you buy a ticket for a specific day and can’t use it due to train cancellations or service disruption we will refund the price you paid for the ticket.

* Excluding Gold Card holders, Magpie Mover holders, Wear on Our Way holders and when we advertise that your journey will take longer e.g. when using the Metro replacement bus service during planned modernisation work.

We’ve made it easy to claim a refund, you can do this at nexus.org.uk or by visiting nexus.org.uk/metro/delay-and-repay

Claiming a refund – the small print

We aim to treat all refund claims with fairness. All ticket refunds will be processed in line with the Nexus Ticket Terms and Conditions (available at nexus.org.uk).

• All claims must be made within 28 days of the delayed journey.
• You will need to provide a copy of your ticket or Pop card with your claim.
• Season ticket holders will be refunded the value of a single ticket for the journey made.
• If you experience an issue with a ticket machine and need to claim a refund, please complete the online form at nexus.org.uk/contactus or call us on 0191 202 0747 (lines are open Monday-Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm, excluding Bank Holidays).

The above does not affect your statutory rights including any rights you may have under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

For more information visit nexus.org.uk/metro/looking-after-our-customers/how-make-complaint or nexus.org.uk/metro/looking-after-our-customers/conditions-carriage-and-byelaws or contact Customer Relations on 0191 202 0747 (lines are open Monday-Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm, excluding Bank Holidays).

Penalties

Make sure you have a valid ticket or validated smartcard for your journey before you enter the pre-paid area of a station. We check tickets regularly on trains and at stations throughout the day. Failure to produce a ticket or validated smartcard when asked to do so by Metro employees or the Police, will likely result in a Penalty Fare.

Check that your ticket is valid for the journey you want to make. Single tickets are valid for one continuous journey and for 90 minutes from the time shown on the ticket. Smartcards can only be used when they are validated by tapping in at the station you start your journey from. Remember to tap out at the station where you finish your journey as this will make sure you pay the correct fare for the journey you have made.

Ticket types and conditions are published on our website nexus.org.uk/metro.

If you are unable to buy a ticket or tap in using your smartcard or mobile ticket due to faults with ticket machines, validator points or gatelines you should use a station Help Point and explain the situation to Metro staff in the Control Room, who will provide further assistance.

Everyone makes mistakes, but if you are found travelling beyond your ticket’s validity, you could be liable for a Penalty Fare. Metro employees can also decide to report someone for prosecution if they believe they are deliberately avoiding paying for a journey.

Customers with a season ticket riding out of their zone can also be charged a Penalty Fare. Season ticket holders can add a zone to their normal product for one day at any Metro ticket machine.

People issued with a Penalty Fare Notice must pay it within 21 days (beginning with the day following the day on which the Penalty Fare is charged). Fail to do this may result in prosecution.
You can pay a Penalty Fare in the following ways:

• By our online payments website payments.nexus.org.uk.
• Card payments can be made by calling our 24 hour automated payment line 0191 814 7699.

There is a right to appeal against a Penalty Fare Notice. This must be done by writing, within 21 days (beginning with the day following the day on which the Penalty Fare is charged) to: Penalties Services,
12 Deben Mill Business Centre, Old Maltings Approach, Woodbridge, IP12 1BL.

Or you can appeal online at penaltyservices.co.uk.

We want everyone to be able to use Metro, whatever their needs. All of our stations have step free access from the street to the platform, while gaps between platforms and trains are generally small. This allows people with wheelchairs to board without assistance in many cases, though we can provide assistance if you need it.

Accessibility and assistance

If an accessibility issue prevents you from using a station for any reason, let us know via a Help Point or by telephoning 0191 203 3666 and we will try to arrange transport to the nearest accessible Metro station at no extra cost to yourself.

We welcome independent travel by people with manual and powered wheelchairs, but mobility scooters are not allowed on Metro trains, stations or platforms for safety reasons. Manoeuvrability and design
issues mean they are unsuitable for the confirmed space of stations and trains, although lighter scooters may be folded and carried.

We will provide a member of customer service to help you with your journey at any station as long as you let us know with at least four working hours’ notice. Telephone 0191 203 3666 or email
assistance@nexus.org.uk. Some larger and busier stations have customer service teams working at them during the day who can help you.

Train arrival information

Station electronic display screens show the time you’ll have to wait for the next four trains and station announcements provide the destination as the trains arrive.

Audio and visual displays on board announce the next station and highlight interchange points. Announcements on trains will normally be automated but may be made by the driver as well.

Changes to service

We will keep you informed about changes to services, whether these are caused by planned improvement works on the system or unexpected problems on the day.

Any planned changes to service, for example engineering improvement works, will be advertised in advance of the work. We will provide details of the change to service and information on the replacement bus service that will operate. You will find details of the changes to service on station posters in the affected area and at interchange stations, on our website nexus.org.uk/metro, via station announcements, on the electronic displays screens in stations and on the Pop App.

On occasion unplanned service disruptions can occur; when this happens we will keep you up to date through station announcements, information on our website, station electronic display screens and service updates on the Pop App.

Bikes on trains

There is bike parking at or close to most Metro stations – in city centres this may be racks on the street. Most stations have secure Streetpod parking For details visit nexus.org.uk/cycle.

You can carry folding bikes with you anywhere on Metro – but make sure you fold and carry them before entering the station. Fully folded bikes can be taken on trains at any time.

Standard bikes are allowed Monday-Friday, 10.00am-3.00pm, 7.00pm until the end of service and all day at weekends, between Callerton Parkway-Jesmond, Manors-Jesmond (via Whitley Bay) and
Gateshead Stadium – South Shields/South Hylton. One bike allowed per Metrocar.

Nexus can accept no responsibility for any loss or damage to bikes.

Alcohol and smoking

We don’t allow you to drink alcohol or carry open alcoholic drink containers on Metro. We acted on feedback from customers to make Metro an Alcohol Exclusion Zone, which means police have the power
to stop people drinking and confiscate anything containing or believed to contain alcohol. Smoking, including vaping and the use of electronic cigarettes is banned throughout Metro stations and trains.

Train reliability and performance

We aim for the highest levels of reliability and performance and we measure punctuality performance against the timetable. We will endeavour to inform customers when services are disrupted by more than 15 minutes than advertised.

We publish the results every four weeks on our Performance posters at stations and online at nexus.org.uk/metro.

Customer satisfaction survey

The Customer Satisfaction Survey helps us understand what customers think about our service. This large and independent survey is taken each year where we ask about 2000 customers how they think we’re doing against categories of satisfaction. We publish the results on our Performance posters at stations and online at nexus.org.uk/metro.

Take care

Using Metro is safe and convenient but there are a few areas where we
should all take a little extra care:

• Don’t attempt to board or leave a train when or after the door warning tone has sounded. Rushing to get to a closing door may cause an accident.
• On escalators stand to the right, face the direction of travel and hold onto the handrail. Please avoid taking large items of luggage onto the escalator and never take pushchairs or wheelchairs on an escalator, always use the lift or station ramp.

• If it’s windy, raining or snowing please take additional care when travelling. If the weather is hot, carry water with you to stay hydrated.

Security

We want every journey you have to be enjoyable and stress free and we are committed to providing a safe secure Metro system.

We work closely with two police forces which we pay to provide dedicated patrols and support our employees. British Transport Police (BTP) look after the Sunderland line from Pelaw to South Hylton and Northumbria Police look after the rest of the Metro system.

Lost property

It’s an awful feeling when you realise you’ve left something on the train. We will do all we can to reunite you with your lost possession.

If you lose something on a train or at a stations, contact Customer Relations as soon as possible.
If you find a lost article on the Metro then please hand it to a member of the Customer Service Team at a station.

Anything found or handed in can take up to two working days to be delivered to Lost Property. If it is possible to identify the owner of the lost item we will endeavour to contact them. Items are retained for 28 days before being offered to charities where possible.

Property can be reclaimed by contacting Customer Relations on 0191 202 0747 (lines are open Monday-Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm, excluding Bank Holidays) or by email customerrelations@nexus.org.uk. There is a small charge for reclaiming lost property, we’ll confirm the amount when you contact us.

Comments, feedback and complaints

We want to know what you think about Metro whether your opinion is good, bad or indifferent. All feedback helps us improve our service.

If a complaint is received, we will resolve the issue as quickly as possible. The fastest way to receive a response is by email or telephone, but postal correspondence is very welcome.

We are proud to be a responsive, responsible organisation and it’s our target to reply to 95% of all letters within ten working days and emails within five working days.

Our Complaints Handling Procedure is available at nexus.org.uk/metro and from Customer Relations on 0191 202 0747 (lines are open Monday-Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm, excluding Bank Holidays).

If a complaint relates to other transport operators, we will forward details to them and provide you with a contact. If you would prefer for your complaint not to be forwarded, please let us know.

If you’re not satisfied

We will always do our best to resolve problems straight away, but if you are unhappy with our first response, please tell us and a manager will look at your case again. We will reply with our findings which will include the name of the manager involved in the investigation.

If you remain unhappy with our response you can contact the Rail Ombudsman. The Rail Ombudsman are there to help resolve on-going complaints. It’s free to use their services and they are independent of
the rail industry.

The Rail Ombudsman can be contacted through their website railombudsman.org or in any of the following ways:
Write to: FREEPOST – RAIL OMBUDSMAN
Telephone: 0330 094 0362 (Monday to Friday 9.00am–5.00pm)
Textphone: 0330 094 0363
Email: info@railombudsman.org
Twitter: @RailOmbudsman

*Phone lines are open Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 5.00pm, excluding Bank Holidays.