Penalty Fares and appeals
You must buy a ticket or have a valid travel pass before boarding the tram. If you travel without a valid ticket, pass or smartcard, or have failed to complete your NETGO! ticket purchase before boarding the tram, you will be issued with a £120 Penalty Fare Notice.
A valid ticket must cover the entire journey you intend to take and must have been purchased before you boarded the tram. We’re out on the network every day performing ticket checks. Should your ticket be checked, you will be asked to show a valid ticket or pass either on board or at a stop when you get off the tram - this is known as a compulsory ticket area.
As part of the process, you will be asked to provide your name and address. If this is not provided you may be liable for a £1,000 fine. And if you do not pay your Penalty Fare Notice, you may be taken to court and you could receive a criminal record.
Payments
If you’re issued with a Penalty Fare, you must pay within 22 days.
You may be entitled to an early payment discount of 50%, paying £60, providing you meet the following criteria:
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It’s your first Penalty Fare offence
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You have accepted the Penalty Fare and you have not submitted an appeal
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You have made the payment within 14 days of being issued the Penalty Fare
Failing to meet any of the criteria above will result in the full £120 Penalty Fare being applied.
Need support with payments?
We do not offer payment plans for Penalty Fare offences, but you may wish to break down the cost of your Penalty Fare by using PayPal Pay-in-3.
Proceed to the payment page via the link above and select PayPal at the checkout. You will need a PayPal account to proceed, and all payments are managed via monthly direct debit payments to PayPal.
What happens if I don’t pay?
Failing to pay in full within 22 days will result in additional charges being applied.
Should your case not be settled by day 23, an additional administration charge of £30 will be added to your account and your case may be directed to the Magistrates Courts, where fines can reach up to £1,000.
Appeals
If you have been issued with a Penalty Fare Notice, you do have the right to appeal if you feel the penalty was issued unfairly.
Your appeal must show evidence that your ticket was purchased prior to boarding the tram. Failing to provide proof of ticket purchase which covers you and your entire journey may result in your appeal being denied.
Would my appeal be accepted?
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
The conditions of carriage state that you must be able to show your valid ticket or pass upon request, along with any valid ID that may be required. Passes must be valid for you and must be scanned before your journey starts. It is also your responsibility to ensure you can show any digital tickets on the NETGO! app. If you can show evidence that you had a valid ticket before you made a journey, we may consider your appeal, but the outcome may still be declined. Click the appeals button on the bottom left of this page to request an appeals form.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
The conditions of carriage state that you must be able to show your valid ticket or pass upon request, along with any valid ID that may be required. Passes must be valid for you and must be scanned before your journey starts. It is also your responsibility to ensure you can show any digital tickets on the NETGO! app. If you can show evidence that you had a valid ticket before you made a journey, we may consider your appeal, but the outcome may still be declined. Click the appeals button on the bottom left of this page to request an appeals form.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
The conditions of carriage state that you must be able to show your valid ticket or pass upon request, along with any valid ID that may be required. Passes must be valid for you and must be scanned before your journey starts. It is also your responsibility to ensure you can show any digital tickets on the NETGO! app. If you can show evidence that you had a valid ticket before you made a journey, we may consider your appeal, but the outcome may still be declined. Click the appeals button on the bottom left of this page to request an appeals form.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
We operate a buy before you board policy. You need to purchase a ticket, valid for you and the journey you intend to make, before stepping onto the tram. This includes ensuring your payment/season/Pay-as-you-Go/concessionary travel cards are scanned and your digital tickets are paid for and fully loaded onto your device before boarding the tram. We will not accept any appeals if you have failed to follow our buy before you board policy outlined in the conditions of carriage and the signage in place at the point of boarding. You must pay for your penalty within 22 days to avoid further administrative charges and legal proceedings which will commence from day 23.
No, an appeal would not be accepted for this reason.
The conditions of carriage state that you must be able to show your valid ticket or pass upon request, along with any valid ID that may be required. Passes must be valid for you and must be scanned before your journey starts. It is also your responsibility to ensure you can show any digital tickets on the NETGO! app. If you can show evidence that you had a valid ticket before you made a journey, we may consider your appeal, but the outcome may still be declined. Click the appeals button on the bottom left of this page to request an appeals form.
If you wish to formally appeal your penalty, you can request an appeals form which must be completed within 22 days of being issued the penalty.
Appeals will not be accepted if:
- You have submitted the appeal after the 22 days
- You have made a payment for your Penalty Fare – payments are considered an acceptance of the Penalty Fare
- You have failed to fill in all of the required details on our Penalty Fare appeals form
- You have not submitted your appeal via the appeal submission form – direct emails will not be considered
Click the appeals button on the bottom left of this page to request an appeals submission form.
We’re unable to discuss Penalty Fares over the phone. For further information on our Penalty Fares and appeals process, click the link above or see our Penalty Fare support pages.