‘Unfair Fares Increase’ faced by Shaw and Crompton Tram Passengers under Greater Manchester Mayor’s Zone Proposals

The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has written directly to the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham opposing proposed fare increases for passengers taking the tram from Shaw and Crompton into Manchester.

Under the Mayor’s recent proposals to introduce zonal fares across Greater Manchester, commuters travelling into Manchester from Shaw and Crompton, and vice versa, will be hit with a 4.5% to 6% fare increase.

Councillor Sykes, who represents Oldham on the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, supports the introduction of zonal fares, contactless payment and daily fare capping, as these are all proposals that Liberal Democrat Councillors in Greater Manchester have been seeking for several years, but he has real concerns about the impact of the new zonal fares for local passengers travelling into Manchester.

Councillor Sykes explained: “The Mayor is proposing to establish four fare zones in Greater Manchester.  Shaw and Crompton is in the outer Zone 4.  All other Oldham stations are in Zone 3, Derker is on the boundary.  This will mean that passengers wishing to travel from Shaw and Crompton into Manchester city centre for work or leisure – or vice versa – will have to pay significant more than any passengers joining elsewhere in the Borough.”

“Shaw and Crompton passengers will see increases in their fares by 4.5 – 6%.  My question to the Greater Manchester Mayor is ‘Why?’  In my view this defies common sense, and it is also unfair.  Oldham is one Metropolitan Borough so surely Shaw and Crompton should be in the same zone as the rest of the Borough?”

Councillor Sykes is concerned that this will discourage commuters from taking the tram to work or indeed taking the tram to look further afield for work.  He added:

“If we want to promote a free labour market across Greater Manchester, with employees choosing to travel to expanding places of business by tram, this does not provide any encouragement.  In addition because of the proposed reduction in off-peak fares to Rochdale, Shaw and Crompton will be more likely to spend their leisure time there to the detriment of Oldham’s night-time economy.”

Councillor Sykes is also concerned that these proposals appear to mask the near-20% fare increase over three years being implemented by the Mayor and Labour Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Commenting Councillor Sykes said: “This will be a huge fare increase which will be a extra financial burden for many local passengers.  And in my view any fare increase is neither necessary, nor justified.  The tram network is in massive profit; little action is being taken to collect revenue from fare evaders; passengers on the Rochdale – Oldham line have suffered from an increase in on-board and trackside anti-social and criminal behaviour, including several vicious attacks at tram stops; there is poor operational performance on the Rochdale – Oldham line; and we have still not got promised direct link to Piccadilly, the principal mainline station for Greater Manchester.”

The letter is below:

Mr Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, GMCA, Churchgate House, 56 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 6EU.

Dear Mayor Burnham,

Consultation on Metrolink Zonal Fares

I have chosen to write to you directly on this matter as the online consultation provides little latitude for me to effectively express my views on this matter as a Shaw Councillor representing my constituents who use the busiest Metrolink stop on the Rochdale – Oldham line and as a representative for Oldham on the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) Committee.

Whilst the concepts of zonal fares, contactless payment and daily fare capping are in principle to be welcomed – indeed these are proposals that Liberal Democrat Councillors in Greater Manchester have championed for several years to help bring our Metrolink service in line with practices on the London Underground and into the 21st Century – I have real concerns about the current zonal proposals because of their impact on my constituents and it is disappointing that the TfGM Committee was not consulted prior to the proposals being made public.

Under your current proposals, the Greater Manchester tram network will be split into four zones, with passengers charged one fare for travel within a single zone and a different fare for travelling across one or more zones.  It is proposed that Shaw and Crompton will be in Zone 4, whilst all of the remaining stations in the Borough will be in Zone 3. Derker is on the boundary.

In my view this defies common sense. Oldham is one Metropolitan Borough so surely Shaw and Crompton should be in the same zone as the rest of the Borough?

Passengers taking the service from Shaw and Crompton will pay significantly more than those in the rest of Oldham Borough to travel into Manchester for leisure or to work as fares will increase by an inflation busting 4.5 – 6%. This will include an increase in the price of an Annual Commuter Ticket to £1,100, a significant sum.

And let us not forget that these increases will also hurt the many hundreds of people who use Metrolink to travel to work in Shaw!

If we want to promote a free labour market across Greater Manchester, with employees choosing to travel to expanding places of business by tram, this does not provide any encouragement.

In addition because of the proposed reduction in off-peak fares to Rochdale, Shaw and Crompton will be more likely to spend their leisure time there to the detriment of Oldham’s night-time economy.

In addition, these proposals, whilst being presented as some temporary largesse to the cash-strapped travelling public, mask the massive 19% fare increase proposed by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on Metrolink over the next years – a huge fare increase by a fifth which will be a tremendous extra financial burden for many local passengers.

I cannot see how any fare increases can be justified when:

  • the tram network is in massive profit
  • insufficient action is being taken to collect revenue from fare evaders
  • passengers on the Rochdale – Oldham line have suffered from an increase in on-board and trackside anti-social and criminal behaviour, including several vicious attacks at tram stops
  • there is poor operational performance on the Rochdale – Oldham line
  • we have still not got promised direct link to Piccadilly, the principal mainline station for Greater Manchester.

I do hope that my comments can be taken on board as part of the consultation and I should welcome your response to the comments made.

Yours sincerely.

2 thoughts on “‘Unfair Fares Increase’ faced by Shaw and Crompton Tram Passengers under Greater Manchester Mayor’s Zone Proposals

  1. alan rowland says:

    I live in Shaw and now have to pay an extra £20 a month for the tram, which was already too expensive in the first place as far as I’m concerned, it’s a complete rip off and not in comparison with bus fares or petrol, I’m so angry with this

    • howardsykes says:

      Agree 100 percent have raised this on a number of occasions and will continue to do so. Labour Mayor of GM just not interested I am afraid.

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