'I got my £60 tram fine refunded - here's how'

Last December I was fined the £60 penalty fare on the tram so I decided to find out more about the Metrolink penalty fare system. Having lived in Manchester for seven years, I have travelled extensively on the Metrolink, generally using my contactless card to tap in and tap out. On December 12 2024, I was fined the £60 contactless penalty fare on the tram after an inspector checked my card while travelling.

As far as I was aware, I tapped in at West Didsbury and tapped out at Exchange Square. I didn’t think anything of my card being checked, as I knew I had tapped in as I had countless times before. However, I soon noticed £60 had been automatically deducted from my bank account by TfGM.



A Metrolink tram (Image: Newsquest) With Christmas coming up, £60 was a significant amount of money for me. But it was the principle of being fined when I knew I had tapped in that bugged me the most. Having experienced issues with faulty contactless machines in the past and having to pay the full fare as a result, I decided to appeal my penalty fare.

I appealed my penalty fare to TfGM. It was rejected, stating that I had not tapped in at West Didsbury. After reading articles online about the penalty fare system, and seeking advice from social media posts, I was persistent and escalated my appeal with TfGM.

It took exactly two months, a rejected appeal, followed by an escalated appeal for TfGM to finally inform me that I would be refunded the £60 as a “one-time good will gesture”. On 12 February 2025 I received an email from TfGM stating: “As a one-time good will gesture, due to this being your first penalty fare and otherwise having a consistent and good journey history, I will uphold your appeal and return the £60 penalty fare. Money generated from fares has risen over the years (Image: Newsquest) “However please be mindful to make sure you tap in before touching any inspectors’ device and check the contactless reader gives you the green tick and noise before boarding any tram, as this is your confirmation of an active ticket to travel.

“Most issues occur when moving the card or device away too quickly.” The trams are incredibly useful and quick way to travel around Manchester and Greater Manchester. However, I now only buy paper tickets or digital tickets on the Bee Network app as I no longer feel confident tapping in and tapping out using the contactless machines.

Truthfully, I also can’t be bothered to go through the time and effort of appealing again if the contactless machine doesn’t register that I have tapped my card, or if I forget to tap out in the future. My own experience made me want to investigate the penalty fare system across the Greater Manchester tram network. I understand the need to fine fare evaders, but I also think it is important that honest people are not caught out as I was.

I contacted TfGM for data on all penalty fares from when contactless was first introduced in July 2019 right up until February 2025. TfGM made just under £10 million on the back of penalty fares between July 2019 and 1 February 2025. For example, in 2019 £1,094,164 was made from penalty fares.

In 2023, this had gone up £2,033,429, and in 2024 it increased to an impressive £3,092,825. Each year from 2019 to 2024, with the exception of 2020, the number of penalty fines issued has increased year-on-year. The number of penalty fines paid has also increased, as has the number of appeals.

In 2019, 34,966 penalty fare fines were issued, whereas in 2024 this had increased to 106,859, an increase of 206 per cent. Fines and appeals have gone up in recent years (Image: Newsquest) TfGM noted that contactless payments only started in July 2019 and the penalty fare increased in October. 2020 is likely an exception to the rule due to the coronavirus lockdowns restricting travel.

I contacted TfGM for comment. Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s Chief Network Director, said: “Contactless ‘tap and go’ has become the most popular way for Metrolink customers to pay for their travel, with 50 million journeys being made since the payment system launched in 2019. “From 23/03/2025, tap and go will expand to Bee Network buses allowing passengers to use a contactless card or device to pay for their journey and pay no more than the daily or weekly cap, enabling more seamless and flexible trips.

“We have always been transparent about the conditions of travel on Metrolink, including the use of contactless and the consequences of travelling without a valid ticket or not touching in or out at either end of journeys. “We are continuously reminding customers to touch out and are working to improve customer information on stops, as well as running campaigns reminding people to use the same device when touching in and out. “We recognise that customers will occasionally forget to touch out and we will look to amend charges or issue refunds if it’s clear that there has been a mistake.

“At the same time, penalty fares are in place to act as a deterrent for the minority of people who knowingly refuse to pay for travel. “The terms of conditions for using contactless on Metrolink are readily available on the TfGM website, and anyone who has any questions concerning contactless travel can contact our Customer Relations team.” TfGM also told me that since launching contactless on the Metrolink in July 2019, it has become the most popular way for people to pay for their travel, with 16.

5 million journeys, equating to around 45,000 a day, being made using it last year – a 20 per cent increase on the previous year. ALSO READ: Andy Burnham on trams coming to Bolton as he discusses public transport changes ALSO READ: Connecting Bolton to 'fast, frequent' tram network left off latest plans ALSO READ: Replacement of tram tracks across Manchester City Centre Almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of those journeys are made using contactless devices, such as phones and watches, rather than bank cards. A crackdown on fare evasion on Metrolink services saw the penalty fare increase from £100 to £120 in October 2023 which, together with the recruitment of an additional 50 Metrolink Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) has seen fare evasion fall by a third between July 2023 and January 2024.

As a result of this new approach Metrolink officials say they are on target to generate an extra £2million in net revenue per year, all of which will be reinvested back into the network for the benefit of all passengers. In my experience, my first appeal was rejected, but after insisting my appeal was escalated, I was eventually refunded. Good luck!.