Pregnant commuter is 'made to leave Metrolink'

4:59pm Thursday 1st February 2007

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A PREGNANT woman has vowed never to use the Metrolink again after she says she was left stranded at the station in Radcliffe.

Sam Beardow, of Portinscale Close, Bury, was making her way home from work at a city centre bank when she boarded a tram at Manchester Victoria.

As the vehicle pulled into Radcliffe, ticket inspectors climbed on board and asked Miss Beardow (33) for proof that she had paid the fare.

She searched through her purse and pulled out a handful of Metrolink tickets from previous journeys, but as she searched for that day's ticket, she says she was asked to leave the tram.

Miss Beardow, who is five and a half months pregnant, said: "I couldn't find it at first so I asked the inspector to give me a couple more seconds while I looked for the right ticket. He said the tram had to leave straight away and I would have to get off. The tram pulled away as I found the ticket and I was left on the platform by myself. I felt really vulnerable being there on my own in the dark.

"I can't believe that the inspectors acted like this. Lots of people dodge fares and I understand why they have to check tickets, but I only wanted a few seconds to find it. I didn't want special treatment because I was pregnant - I think anyone who can get on a tram and produce about 20 tickets should be treated sympathetically."

Miss Beardow then had to wait in Radcliffe for more than ten minutes before the next tram arrived to take her to Bury.

Since the incident last Tuesday, she has refused to use the tram and is now commuting by bus instead.

She said: "I have been taking the tram to work for 14 years but I won't get on it now unless there is an emergency. I would much rather drive or get on the bus. It is terrible that the trams cost £4.80 each day and they are frequently late or people are squashed."

A spokesperson for the Metrolink said a station block was in place at the time of the incident, where inspectors checked the tickets of everyone getting on and off the trams.

He said: "When we are on a six-minute service, if anyone is taking a long time to find their ticket there are occasions when people are asked to get off the tram to find it. We obviously apologise for doing that, but if we start holding up the trams for a period of time, then it causes delays around the service.

"It is unfortunate and we are sympathetic to Miss Beardow's response.

"She was certainly in a safe and secure environment. Radcliffe station can be a little foreboding because of the size of it, but there were 12 inspectors and three police officers there at the same time."