North East transport bosses have been urged to remove an “unfair” disparity in the cost of a pass offering older or disabled people cheaper travel on the Tyne and Wear Metro.
The Metro Gold Card allows holders unlimited off-peak travel on the Metro, the Shields Ferry, and Northern trains between Newcastle and Sunderland.
Anyone with an English National Concessionary Travel Pass, which is available for disabled people and those aged 66 and over, is eligible to purchase a Gold Card for the price of £12 if you live in Tyne and Wear.
But residents of neighbouring Northumberland and County Durham, or anywhere else in the country, must pay a doubled £24 rate.
Northumberland Labour Cllr Les Bowman called this week for the cheaper price to be extended to travellers in the two rural counties, given that they and the Tyne and Wear boroughs all now fall under the patch of the North East mayor.
Cllr Bowman told a North East Combined Authority scrutiny committee on Tuesday: “It should be equal throughout the combined authority. It should be the same price regardless of which authority you are a part of. Colleagues in Durham would say exactly the same. It is a bit unfair. It should be one authority, one price.”
The Gold Card is also not currently valid on the Northumberland Line rail service.
Metro operator Nexus indicated that, while the £24 rate will continue when a new set of Metro fares come into force on 1 July, it was willing to review the issue.
John Fenwick, director of finance and resources at Nexus, said: “The Gold Card provides excellent value for people that are entitled to a concessionary bus pass, offering unlimited off-peak travel on the Tyne and Wear Metro, the Shields Ferry and Northern trains between Newcastle and Sunderland for a very modest annual fee.
“Gold Card is a discretionary product, which is subsidised through the levy on Tyne and Wear local authorities, to which other areas don’t currently contribute. It was made available to residents from outside of Tyne and Wear in 2008 at a commercial price.
“The cost of a Gold Card for people who reside outside of Tyne and Wear will be frozen again at £24 from 1 July this year. This was agreed by the North East Combined Authority’s Cabinet at a meeting in January. At £24 customers can start saving if they make as few as five return trips in a year.
“Nexus is ready to work with the North East Combined Authority to review the application of all discretionary elements of concessionary travel across the region.”
