If you've been issued a penalty fare notice for failing to purchase a valid ticket or failing to validate your travel/payment card/device before boarding the tram, you will be issued a penalty fare of £120.

This article covers many frequently asked questions regarding your penalty fare, payments, appeals and what might happen if you ignore the notice you have received.

TABLE OF CONTENTS - Click any of the links below to skip ahead

• Payments
• Appeals process
• Appeal reasons and outcomes
  • Unaware of the buy-before-you-board policy
  • Issues with the NETGO app
  • Invalid ticket
  • Issues with contactless payments
  • Health, mental health, disability, vulnerability

Payments

Q. How do I pay for my penalty fare? A. All payments can be made online at https://www.thetram.net/penalty-fares.

Q. How long do I have until the full payment for my penalty fare must be paid? A. Once you are issued a penalty fare, you will have 22 days to pay in full.

Q. How much is the penalty fare? A. The penalty fare is £120 from the 1st May 2026. You may be entitled to an early payment discount of 50% if you pay within 14 days.

Q. Am I entitled to an early payment discount? A. You may only need to pay £60, providing it's your first offence, and you have not contested the penalty fare (submitted an appeal). Payments must be made within 14 days of being issued the penalty. Late payments will not be considered. See https://www.thetram.net/penalty-fares.

Q. Can I submit an appeal after I've made a payment? A. No, we will not accept any appeals if a payment has been made. Payments are considered an acceptance of the penalty fare; you should not pay if you intend to appeal.

Q. If I submit an appeal, can I still pay a reduced amount of £60? A. No, the discount is available if you do not wish to contest the appeal and have accepted the penalty fare. Once an appeal is submitted, the charge will remain at £120 until a decision is made on your appeal.

Q. Can I pay for my penalty fare in cash? A. Currently, we do not have a process to accept cash payments, but this is something we are hoping to have available in the near future. For now, all payments can be made online at https://www.thetram.net/penalty-fares.

Q. What happens if I don't pay the reduced amount of £60 within 14 days? A. Your penalty fare will increase to £120.

Q. What happens if I don't pay the penalty fare of £120 within 22 days? A. We will add a further charge of £30 from day 23 and your case will be submitted to Nottingham Magistrates Court, where the fines may reach a maximum of £1000.

Q. If I didn't manage to pay within 22 days, how can I avoid going to Court? A. You will need to make a payment of £150. If you have not received a notice from the Courts, you will need to make the payment as soon as possible. If you've been issued with Court documents or a Single Justice Procedure notice and you wish to settle out of court, contact us at info@thetram.net.

Q. What is the latest date I can settle outside of Court? A. If you're issued with a notice from the Courts, please contact us as soon as possible to make a settlement payment. Payments should be made within 3 weeks of being issued a notice from the Courts.

Q. Can I set up a payment plan? A. No, we do not offer payment plans. You may, however, wish to break down the cost of your penalty fare by using PayPal Pay-in-3. Once you have entered your details on our website, proceed to the checkout and select PayPal from the payment options.

Q. If I can't use PayPal pay-in-3, can I still have support with breaking down my payments? We don't offer payment plans. We understand, however, that some who may wish to settle a penalty fare have no access to regular payments, may be receiving benefits, or seeking asylum or refuge in the UK and may not have access to a bank account. You may wish to speak to citizens advice or the Nottingham Refugee Forum for help in contacting us. 

Q. Can I make a payment over the phone? A. No, we do not accept payments over the phone.

Q. Can I make a payment in-person? No, we are not able to take payments in-person.

Appeals process

Q. How do I submit an appeal? A. All appeals must be submitted via https://www.thetram.net/penalty-fares.

Q. How long do I have to appeal my penalty fare? You have 22 days from the date you were issued the penalty fare.

Q. If my appeal is denied, how long will I have to make my payment? You will have 14 days to make the payment, or up to the original 22 days if this date is further than 14 days.

Q. Can I submit an appeal after I've made a payment? A. No, we will not accept any appeals if a payment has been made. Payments are considered an acceptance of the penalty fare; you should not pay if you intend to appeal.

Q. Can I send an appeal via email directly to NET? A. No, your appeal will not be accepted. Please ensure you visit our website, https://www.thetram.net/penalty-fares for all the information regarding appeals.

Q. If I submit an appeal, can I still pay a reduced amount of £60? A. No, the discount is available if you do not wish to contest the appeal and have accepted the penalty fare. Once an appeal is submitted, the charge will remain at £120 until a decision is made on your appeal.

Q. Who decides whether my appeal is accepted or denied? A. Your appeal will be reviewed by NET staff who are responsible for managing penalty fare payments and appeals.

Q. If I'm not satisfied with the outcome of my appeal, can I escalate my case to be reviewed independently? A. Yes. Your initial appeal, submitted via our website, is considered as 'stage 1' and is reviewed internally by NET staff who are responsible for managing penalty fare payments and appeals. Should you wish to escalate your case to a stage 2 appeal, you will need to do this in writing. Letters must be sent via recorded, signed for or special delivery to: The Secretary, Independent Appeals Panel, Tramlink Ltd, 2 King Street, Nottingham, NG1 2AS. The panel may only review cases which have completed stage 1 of the appeals process. Letters must be received within 14 days following the outcome of your stage 1 appeal.

Q. If my stage 2 appeal has also been denied, can I take this any further? A. No, you will need to proceed with payment.

Q. How long will it take for my appeals submission form to arrive via email? A. Once you've requested an appeals submission form via our website, we'll get back to you as soon as possible with a link to our appeals submission form. This is usually done on the same day, or the following day if you've requested this outside of the customer relations working hours.

Q. How can I submit additional evidence to my appeal, like a copy of my ID? Once we've received your completed form, we'll respond via email. You may respond at any time to submit any additional evidence. Please respond directly to the email you've received to ensure your evidence is kept together with your appeal.

Q. How long does it usually take to receive an outcome to my appeal? A. We aim to respond to appeals as soon as possible. We aim to respond in full within 5-7 days, but may require more time if an investigation or review of submitted evidence is required. Please allow up to 21 days for a full response.

Q. Can I speak to somebody over the phone regarding my penalty fare or appeal? No, we are not able to discuss penalty fares or appeals over the phone.

Q. The appeal submission form is not working correctly. What can I do? A. If you receive an error, please take a screenshot and send it to info@thetram.net, and our team will look into it.

Q. Can my appeal be rejected before it has been reviewed? A. We may reject your appeal submission, depending on the circumstances. Appeals will not be considered if the appeal deadline has passed. We may also not accept appeals if you have failed to fill in all of the required fields on the appeal submission form. Please ensure you read the form thoroughly and answer all of the questions in full, ensuring you complete the form agreements at the bottom of the page.

Q. Can someone else appeal on my behalf? A. We would prefer the individual who was issued the penalty fare to submit their own appeal. If you need support, if you're unable to, or having difficulties filling out the form, or need help from a parent, guardian or caregiver, then please ensure the details of the person filling out the form are included in your submission. You will need to agree that the person filling out the form has your permission to submit the appeal on your behalf.

Appeal reasons and outcomes

If our staff have issued you with a penalty fare notice, they have done so as you have failed to show a valid ticket upon request. This may be due to not having a ticket or failing to purchase the correct ticket, which covers you and the entire journey you intend to make. Appeals would only be considered in exceptional circumstances. Penalty fares are not only issued to passengers who have failed to purchase a ticket before boarding the tram, but may also be issued to passengers who have travelled with an invalid ticket or to those who have purchased a digital ticket onboard the tram. It is the responsibility of the passenger to purchase the correct ticket before boarding the tram and to ensure they understand which ticket covers them and the journey they are making. If you need any support regarding our services or tickets, please reach out to our customer relations team.

Below is a list of some examples of appeal reasons and likely outcomes

Unaware of the buy-before-you-board policy

• Reason - I am new to the Nottingham tram network, and I didn't know the rules. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. It's your responsibility to ensure you have a ticket for your journey before boarding the tram.
• Reason - I was in a rush. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. 
• Reason - I didn't know I needed a ticket, or I didn't see the signs regarding the buy-before-you-board policy. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. It's your responsibility to check the signs before travelling.
• Reason - Someone told me to 'just get on' or told me I could buy on board the tram. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. All tickets must be purchased on the platform before boarding the tram.
• Reason - I purchased my ticket on the tram, and before I was issued the penalty fare. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. Your ticket is deemed invalid as you did not purchase it before the journey commenced. 

Issues with the NETGO app

• Reason - I thought my payment had gone through. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. 
• Reason - I didn't realise my bank was requesting authorisation for the payment. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. It's your responsibility to ensure the payment is completed on the platform or before your journey starts.
• Reason - My ticket was still loading when the staff came to check my ticket. Outcome - Once you have completed a purchase on the app, the ticket will take 30 seconds to load. You must have completed this process before boarding the tram.
• Reason - My ticket had disappeared. Outcome - If you purchased a single ticket, it's likely the ticket had expired and therefore, this type of appeal would be denied. If, however, you have a valid seasonal ticket and you've switched to a new device, we may consider this appeal after a review of further evidence.
• Reason - I could not load the NETGO app, or my phone battery had died. Outcome - We may consider this type of appeal in exceptional circumstances, but please remember it is your responsibility to ensure you can show your ticket to our staff when they request it.
• Reason - I had issues with mobile data and couldn't buy a ticket. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. 
• Reason - I had issues with my device. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. 
• Reason - The app experienced a malfunction. Outcome - We would likely be aware of any major widespread outages with our app. If there were no known issues with the application on our end, then it's likely the issue is with your device or network. This type of appeal would be denied. 

Invalid ticket

• Reason - I used a short-hop ticket but travelled in different zones, or I was unaware of the zones. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. Check the validity of the ticket and check the short hop zones highlighted on our route maps. You are not permitted to travel into multiple zones with a short hop ticket.
• Reason - I purchased an under-19 ticket, but I'm aged 19 (or over). Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. Under-19 tickets are for those aged 5-18.
• Reason - I purchased a student ticket, but I'm not studying, or I thought the Totum cards were accepted. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. You must ensure you have the correct student ID when buying student tickets. Student discount is for those who are currently travelling to a place of study, such as a College or University. Totum cards are not accepted.
• Reason - I used my single ticket for a return trip, or I thought the single ticket lasted for 90 minutes. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. You are only permitted to make one journey with a single ticket, even if it is still within the 90 minutes.
• Reason - I didn't realise my ticket had expired. Outcome - This type of appeal would be denied. Please ensure you check the validity of the ticket.

Issues with contactless payments

• Reason - I forgot to tap my card on the green card reader before boarding. Outcome - This appeal would be denied. It is your responsibility to remember to scan your card before boarding the tram.
• Reason - I heard a beep, but I was told my payment did not go through. Outcome - The outcome would depend on the information you provide during your appeal. Before submitting an appeal, gather your payment confirmation from the Nottingham Contactless website - https://nottinghamcontactless.co.uk/. If you're unable to confirm a payment, then it's likely your appeal would be denied. If you can submit evidence that a payment was made, then this may succeed, but we'd need to look into this further to confirm the payment. Attempting to tap-to-pay is not generally considered enough for an appeal to be upheld if your payment was declined. Although you may have intended to pay, you did not, and therefore, your appeal will likely be declined. Always ensure your payment has gone through when using the green validators. Look out for the successful tap confirmation on the screen. You will also notice a green screen when everything has gone through. If you're adamant that you received a green screen confirmation but have failed to gather evidence of a successful payment, please get in touch with us, and we may be able to help by checking our device logs to see what has happened. This may help you decide whether you would like to continue with an appeal or make a payment.
• Reason - My card kept declining at the green validators, but I wasn't sure why and boarded the tram. Outcome - This appeal would be denied. If your payment card fails on the green validators, please try the ticket machine or use the NETGo app to buy your tickets before boarding the tram.
• Reason - I only tapped for one of my journeys, but made a return/multiple journeys, or I thought you only needed to tap once per day. Outcome - You need to tap the same payment card or device before you board the tram, every time. Tapping once will charge only an adult single journey ticket. If you need to make another journey, or multiple journeys, tap each and every time before boarding the tram, and you will not be charged any more than the adult day ticket. The rules are outlined on our website and on every platform on the information poster in the tram shelter. Your appeal will likely be declined as you have failed to pay for the journey you made, even if you have paid for a previous journey on the same day.
• Reason - I didn't tap my card because I had already reached the daily cap. Outcome - If you can provide evidence that the full amount for a daily ticket was paid, we may consider this appeal. Please remember, however, that you must validate your payment card each time you board the tram. Continuing to fail to validate the journeys you make may still result in the appeal being denied.

Health, mental health, disability, vulnerability

The following is for guidance only, and each appeal will be dealt with on its own merits. NET is proud to offer a fully accessible tram network, and staff are on hand to assist customers who may have additional support needs. We are one of the UK's leading public transport operators, and will always endeavour to provide support and reasonable adjustments for passengers travelling with a disability, or suffering from health or mental health issues. All passengers are required to purchase a ticket for their journey, and this would include passengers who have a disability or those who have health or mental health issues. We've provided reasonable adjustments to support you, as our customer, to make your journey in the same way as any other customer would. Every platform has customer advice and notices reminding you to buy your tickets before boarding or reminding you to tap your travel cards. Ticket machines and payment validators are accessible on every tram platform at a low level. Our NETGo app allows users to purchase their daily tickets before arriving at the tram stop to remove any worries about purchasing tickets on busy platforms. Accessible travel guides are available from our support site (click here to download), and every platform has a customer help point which you can access 24/7 for support. It's important that if you need additional support, you gather further information before travelling or reach out to our customer relations team, who can be contacted via phone, email, WhatsApp and live chat. It may not be considered a reasonable adjustment to allow you to complete your journey without paying. 

• Reason - I felt anxious or stressed and boarded the tram without a ticket, or I was unable to review the rules due to stress or anxiety. Outcome - This would depend on what evidence was submitted in support of your appeal, but the likely outcome in most cases would be to deny your appeal. Whilst we appreciate you may have experienced difficulties at the time, it's important you understand and follow the rules outlined on the platform.
• Reason - I have ADHD/ASD/PTSD/Autism. Outcome - This would depend on what evidence was submitted in support of your appeal, but the likely outcome in most cases would be to deny your appeal. Whilst we appreciate you may have experienced difficulties at the time due to your disability, it's important you understand and follow the rules outlined on the platform. If you wish to proceed with an appeal, it may be beneficial to submit any medical evidence which outlines how your disability impacts you. How do you usually plan your journeys on public transport? What do you do if you need help and support, or if you did not understand something or felt anxious about doing something wrong? These are some of the questions we'd like to understand when considering your appeal. Each case is dealt with on its own merits.
• Reason - I was in a rush for a medical appointment. Outcome - This appeal would likely be declined. Whilst we appreciate that you need to attend a medical appointment, this does not mean you can travel without paying.
• Reason - I have mental health issues, which can make me forgetful, or I suffer from memory issues. Outcome - This would depend on what evidence was submitted in support of your appeal. Proof of medical history would support your appeal, but would not necessarily result in an upheld appeal. Each case is dealt with on its own merits. 
• Reason - I felt unsafe at the time and just boarded the tram. Outcome - This would depend on what evidence was submitted in support of your appeal. Why did you feel unsafe? What did you do to get support before deciding to board a tram? What was the situation at the time? Our platforms are well lit and covered by CCTV, and staff are on the other side of our help points 24/7. If you are feeling unsafe, it's really important that you reach out to us, and we can try our best to help you.
• Reason - I didn't have any money at the time and boarded the tram. Outcome - It's likely an appeal of this nature would be denied. You need to pay for your journeys on the tram. If you apply the same logic to requesting a taxi, you wouldn't be granted a free ride because you could not pay for the service. You would need to find another way or walk.
• Reason - I am dyslexic and could not read the signs regarding the buy-before-you-board policy. Outcome - Whilst we appreciate you may have additional needs and were not able to interpret the written notices at the point of boarding, this type of outcome may still be denied. What support would you usually gather in situations where you are unfamiliar with rules or unfamiliar with public transport? Did you contact us for support to understand how the network works? We would need to understand your journey and how you usually overcome difficulties with following rules when guidance is given by written notices.