We spoke to five Notts students who have been fined on the tram

A literal ride of passage of being a Notts student is travelling on the tram, as it is one of the few cities in England to have a tramway service. If you are a UoN student it is guaranteed you will have taken a tram journey on a night out from your first year halls and remember the absolute chaos at the University Boulevard tram stop. And if you study at Trent you will literally see them speed through your campus every day, you can’t avoid them.

With trams being a guaranteed part of the Notts student experience there are lots of horror stories, including chunning between the seats, seeing the person you got with the night before, and of course, getting a fine. We spoke to Nottingham students who have been fined on the tram to hear about their experiences:

‘I was forced to get off the tram at an entirely unfamiliar spot alone’

Lexie was fined during November of her first year at uni in 2019. On her way to the cinema she hopped on the tram at the last minute and tried to get a ticket on the app like her friends had done. However, the app wasn’t working so when ticket inspectors in uniform approached her she was unable to present a ticket.

After deliberation from the inspector, he fined her £50 and asked for her details and to see her ID to send information about the fine to her. She expressed that the worst part of the experience was that after being fined she claimed she was forced to get off the tram at an entirely unfamiliar spot alone and felt scared.

She received her fine in the post but did not see it for over a month so had limited time to clear the fine, but managed to do so by calling the number on the letter.

It was ‘the most bank-crushing day of my life’

Ella Bullimore, a second year student at UoN who received her fine earlier this year was also trying to get a ticket on the app when the ticket inspectors stopped her. She was running for the tram after finishing her dance rehearsal and just managed to get on but had no time to get a ticket prior to this.

She was travelling from University Boulevard to Gregory Street and was stopped by officers in between these two stops whilst trying to get her ticket. Ella said she was initially angry at receiving the £60 fine as she was actually trying to purchase a ticket and it was only a very short journey.

The officer who issued the fine was very sympathetic and understood that sometimes it is difficult to get a ticket before you get on the tram but that didn’t stop her from giving Ella the crushing fine. She expressed that she struggles with money at the best of times at uni and this completely threw her off for the month. Due to the circumstances of receiving the fine, she did attempt to appeal but she was still made to pay.

‘My dad gave me a bollocking’ after getting a letter through his door to pay the fine

Trent student Alex Minnett was fined on his way to Goosebury Bush after not buying a ticket, as he was only travelling one stop. He said there were about ten inspectors who all stopped him at Nottingham Trent University stop.

He tried to go unnoticed but was approached by about five inspectors, some of whom were not in uniform. He tried to buy a ticket at that moment but they wouldn’t allow this and instead told him they were issuing a formal warning, asking to see his ID for his address.

His dad then received a letter to his house as it was the address on his ID stating he had received a £70 fine which would increase or lead to court intervention if not paid. His dad then “gave [him] a bollocking” and made him pay the fine. Fair play.

‘I’ll take the L’

Hannah, a second year student at the time, also received a £70 fine in May 2022 on her way to campus to watch a performance. She explained the tram was virtually empty and when they arrived at QMC there were roughly five uniformed officers waiting to check tickets. Having seen them, she and her friend panicked as neither of them had bought a ticket so got off the tram.

The pair then got approached by the officers, asking to present their tickets. It was at this point she realised that she would not be able to avoid a fine so was honest in saying as a student she can’t always afford to buy a ticket. They were then separated and asked to present their ID and give their information.

She knew that there was the opportunity to appeal this but had no reason so she made the payment, despite it being quite steep. She told us that she’s “evaded more than £70 worth of tram tickets so [she’ll] just take the L”.

‘They had concealed a lanyard underneath their clothing’

Last month, a second year student was caught by a NetGo officer not in uniform. The student was running to get on the approaching tram from University Park and started to get their ticket on the app whilst on the tram. They were approached by an officer that the student believed had a hidden lanyard and ticketing device before the tram even reached the first stop.

The student said they were fuming, and appealed the fine as soon as they got home, fingers crossed!

Moral of the story, buy a tram ticket, the risk of a fine probably isn’t worth it.

The Tab Nottingham has contacted NET for comment.