One third of single and day journeys on the Tyne and Wear Metro are now being made with a Pop card

Thousands more Metro customers are now saving money with Pop Pay As You Go, with one in three single and adult day trips now being made with smart cards or Google Pay.

Nexus, the public body that runs Metro, slashed prices in early January to offer a maximum single fare of £2 to customers using Pop Pay As You Go.

The offer will run until the end of March – after which Nexus has promised to freeze single and daily rates at 2021 prices for the rest of this year.

And customers have been quick to respond to the offer of cheaper travel, with Pop’s share of trips rising from 12% this time last year to 33% of all single and weekday day trips this week.

Huw Lewis, Customer Services Director at Nexus, said: “Switching to Pop Pay As You Go in Google Pay or getting a free Pop card from nexus.org.uk means you can save money on Metro with our £2 top price offer. Rides can save money running through March.

“We’ve seen almost 2,000 new customers switch to Pop since the beginning of January, and if they all only travel twice a week, up to two million trips on the Metro are just getting cheaper.

“We certainly hope that by making smart tickets easier and cheaper to travel, we will encourage customers to make more journeys on sustainable public transport.”

Nexus figures show that midweek – Tuesday through Thursday – sees the busiest pop rides, indicating heavy commuter occupancy.

Ride share dips below 20% on weekends, but Nexus encourages people to consider a Pop card or Pop on Google Pay no matter how often they use Metro.

Mr Lewis added: “Pop is the best product to travel on the Metro. We encourage customers to make the switch, even if they only travel once a week or less – either by purchasing a free Pop card by applying for one online on the Nexus website, or through Google Pay if you have an Android have smart phones.

“When the current £2 maximum fare offer ends in March, Pop prices will return to the same level they have been frozen at since 2021, between £1.65 and £3.25, leaving customers still over £1 per day compared to buying a ticket from a machine.”

For full details on how to find Pop on Google Pay – or get a free Pop card – visit www.nexus.org.uk/save

Metro was the first rail system outside of London to offer the convenience of pay-as-you-go smart travel with the iconic Pop card when it launched in November 2015.

Pop Cards can also be used to pay for bus routes in North East England and the Shields Ferry.

Photo credit: Nexus