Sixteen teenagers have been fined a total £2,500 after they were caught fare-dodging on the Metrolink.

The passengers, all 17 and from Oldham, were taken to court or dealt with by post after failing to pay a standard fare charge.

One boy, who was caught five times, was ordered to cough up £746.

A special youth court was held at Bury Magistrates’ Court, organised by Metrolink operator RATP Dev Ltd, to clampdown on several of the ticket offenders.

The youths were fined a total of £2,629.20.

The court hearings came after Greater Manchester’s Travelsafe Unit (TSU) launched a crackdown on unpaid fines in September this year, which resulted in nine arrests for a variety of offences,

Officers from TSU have been visiting schools across the region to warn youngsters of the consequences of crime, anti-social behaviour and fare evasion on public transport.

TfGM Metrolink Director, Peter Cushing, said: “Tackling fare evasion is extremely important, particularly as it sometimes goes hand-in-hand with other types of anti-social behaviour.

“Progressing these cases to court is not a decision that has been taken lightly, but we need to challenge the mind-set among some people that it is acceptable to try and ride the tram for free, particularly those who fail to engage with us or that fail to pay if caught fare dodging.

“It is a vital responsibility of TfGM as the owner of Metrolink, Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd as the operator and the TSU to change the behaviours and attitudes of these young people now, to prevent them from committing further offences in the future and facing more severe punishments.

“Public transport is a safe way to travel in Greater Manchester but it is important that we continue to work together to help reinforce and maintain that through targeted interventions and proactive operations.”

Carla Taylor, Revenue Recovery Manager at Metrolink RATP Dev, said: “Our figures over the past 12 months show young people under the age of 18 are responsible for 20 per cent of all fare evasion. Of that amount, 64 per cent are aged between 16 and 17 which is what prompted us to tackle the issue head on among this age group.

“Taking anyone to court, especially a young person, is not a priority for us and we view it as a last resort.”