A teenager fined by Metrolink despite paying in full for his journey has been refunded after the Local Democracy Reporting Service’s intervention.
Cameron Eyre, from Dukinfield, Tameside, took the tram for a shopping trip on December 16, tapping his phone at Audenshaw and Piccadilly Gardens on his way in, and at Piccadilly Gardens and Ashton-under-Lyne to come home. During his journey, ticket inspectors boarded his tram at Holt Town and asked him to present his ‘card’.
The 16-year-old tapped his debit card on the inspectors’ device, which he says flashed green. He was later hit with a £60 fine — prompting the family to think his card had been cloned because his bank statement showed he paid the £4.30 fare as required.
“They tried multiple times to take the £60 out. They just kept going,” Cameron told the LDRS.
“I am obviously annoyed and confused. It’s just confusing. It came up green on the ticket inspectors’ machine.”
Cameron was fined because he presented his physical debit card to the inspectors and not the Apple Pay version of the same card stored on his phone.
“The ticket inspector asked him for his card,” explained his mum Helen. “He takes things literally, as it’s said. It’s what they said.”
“If he was asked for this method of payment, he would have shown them his Apple Pay.
The fine sparked a lengthy back-and-forth between the teen, primary school teaching assistant Helen, and Bee Network staff.
She added: “Bee Network customer services said they can see he has paid. If he had jumped on and not paid it, I would get it. But they can see he had paid.”
Helen, 44, claims customer services said ‘the signs are clearly written’ warning passengers to use the same card or device across their journey, but she pointed out her son is ‘severely dyslexic’ so ‘cannot read them’.
She added Bee Network staff also ‘told her twice’ they could not cancel the fine, so she paid it and then appealed. After the LDRS raised Cameron’s case with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the organisation issued a refund.
Fran Wilkinson, head of customer and growth at TfGM said: “We have spoken to the customer and are processing the appeal with a view of issuing a full refund. We want the Bee Network to be accessible to everyone and we’re sorry that on this occasion the customer didn’t feel they received the high level of service that we strive for.
“Customers must present the same card or device used to tap in for a journey to the inspector’s ticket reader. We have reminded customer service representatives that carry out inspections to make sure they tell people this when they are having their ticket checked.”
Although Cameron has a refund, it appears Metrolink’s lost a passenger. He added: “It’s rare for me to get the tram. I am probably not going to go on one again. I would rather go by train or bus to get away from them, to get away from paying £60.”
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