Anyone wishing to add a comment to the consultation regarding the future of ticket offices at stations has until midnight on Friday 1 September to make their feelings known.
Although 40% of the rail network presently operates without a ticket office, proposals to close ticket offices in England have met considerable opposition. The consultation, co-ordinated by Transport Focus and London TravelWatch, is being undertaken on behalf of train operating companies.
The final response will help shape the way railway retailing is overhauled in the era of the almost universal smartphone.
Following the closure of the public consultation, the passenger watchdogs will take into account proposals put forward by train operators, as well as the many responses from the public. Part of the consultation process has also seen train operators engage with accessibility groups. All responses will be taken into consideration before a final response is made to train operators.
Already, several changes to ticket sales have been put in place. These include pay-as-you-go and single-leg pricing, as well as upgrades to ticket machines and steps to ensure more tickets are available to be sold online.
The proposals, which have proved controversial, aim to bring staff out of ticket offices and onto station concourses where they will support customers planning journeys, buying tickets and finding their way around. The new multi-skilled ‘customer host' roles, which have been trialled at Newbury and Reading Green Park stations, are thought to be more ‘more engaging' for staff.
Last year, all rail unions accepted the need for changes across the industry. These included staff roles at stations. Rules regarding how tickets are sold at stations were last set in the mid-1990s, when more than 80% of tickets were sold at ticket offices.
Today, that figure stands at 12%. It is estimated that 99% of all transactions undertaken at ticket offices can be made online or through ticket vending machines on station concourses. Cash saving is another pressing consideration, as ticket revenue remains 30% below the level pre-pandemic.
Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “Since the introduction of the smartphone, the numbers using ticket offices have dropped to historic lows and that trend is rapidly accelerating. For rail to survive and thrive long-term, like any responsible industry, we need to change and evolve with our customers.
“We wanted to give as many people as possible the opportunity to have their say on the industry proposals. We are extremely grateful to everyone for taking the time to submit their views, and we will work with the passenger watchdogs to incorporate this valuable feedback into our plans.
“The taxpayer is continuing to subsidise the railway, and we believe that now is the right time to move staff to more flexible, engaging roles so our staff can better support customers face to face with a whole range of needs – from finding the right ticket, to navigating the station and getting support with accessibility needs, while reducing costs to taxpayers.
“We also understand that some customers have particular challenges and they should be supported in any transition. Over the coming weeks, we will work closely with passenger watchdogs to review and adapt individual proposals where necessary.”
You can find out more about the consultation over on the Transport Focus website.
Of course ticket offices should remain open and be fully staffed. I am elderly and with some mobility problems but in spite of that I need advice from a person about certain journeys and I get that at the ticket office. The notion that staff will be employed on platforms to answer queries from passengers is laughable. One or two people wouldn’t be able to cope. The proposed plan to close ticket offices is yet another attempt to pull down the fabric of society. People need people. People need jobs. We need the ticket offices to be kept open and guards to be employed on trains. Other countries do it. So much is broken in this country. Profit before people is the way this country is governed. What a sad state we are in. It is hard to remain optimistic when so many of our public services have been underfunded to the point where they barely exist. But we must fight against it. I support the workers who are striking for better pay and conditions, and we must not give up the fight to keep the ticket offices open.
Leave the ticket offices open.The staff understand all enquiries that are made and resolve them instantly.I buy all my rail tickets over the counter at a Thornaby station ticket office and there is nearly always a small queue which suggests it is a very busy place and commuters like and trust the system as it is and always has been,an important part of railway history.
I have heart and lung conditiond and find it hard to go up and down stairs and generally to negotiate train stations. I need staff at ticket offices to help me. It is dangerous for women to be alone at train stations. Don’t close ticket offices, the disabled and women and vulnerable people need them. They are a vital service.
I’m 23 and don’t have an issue using ticket machines, but I will refuse to travel on the train if the ticket offices are closed, in solidarity with those who need the ticket offices. The railway companies will not get any more of my money! I will boycott them! KEEP THE TICKET OFFICES OPEN!!!!!
Having typed in my comment ten minutes ago (saying “keep the ticket offices”) it then took me five minutes to find how to move from typing my comment to the “Submit” button.
I don’t know whose entry I am adding this note to.
Keep the ticket offices open. Partly sighted and people without access to the internet and disabled passengers need this service.
I am concerned about blind or partially sighted people needing help to purchase tickets. I find it hard enough to use ticket machines with good eyesight
Hi I use the railway quite a bit and bye tickets online but it dose need change why not cut hours done but still find other jobs to do with in reason be more flexible
Ticket offices must not be closed. I travel by train often with my family and the tickets are complicated because I have a freedom pass and a senior railcard. We always want seats to be able to sit together. This cannot be done on a machine.
I tried to add my senior railcard to my ticket with a machine recently and it wouldn’t accept it. That is 33 % of the price of my ticket so I went to the ticket office anyway.
TICKET OIFFICES MUST BE KEPT OPEN.