To think they shouldn’t close 1,000 rail ticket offices?

[TiredArse]

Latest plan to ‘improve’ the railways. Up to 1,000 will close.

We’ll be left with those shitty, self service machines that are a pain to use on a good day. Got a disability or struggle to use a machine? Tough shit. Got a query? Tough shit.

Does anyone actually believe that the money saved will reduce fares or improve services?

You can fill in the consultation form here - not easy to see, you have to click on the words ‘consultation response form’. https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/train-station-ticket-office-consultation/

Most times ticket offices are someone sitting there bored. Kidderminster it seems they are just there to unlock the toilets.
staff will be available actually on the platforms/concourses for anyone that needs help with a ticket.

Big stations keep the offices- they’re used but if they’re not, close them!

Rail in the country needs to be better value for money.

Do we think that will happen though? Will they really put the staff on the concourse or just get rid? If they’re keeping the staff they may as well keep the ticket offices.

Don't be fooled by 'staff will be on the platform' - that could mean a station going from 10 staff to 1. How will that work? It won't. Closing ticket offices may well save money but if won't improve the railway.

They did this in London on the underground years ago. It's far better to actually have the staff available on the concourse where they can actually assist passengers who need assistance rather than stuck behind a window in the ticket office. Personally I find it far safer to travel later at night as a lone female since the ticket offices closed.

Half the stations round here don’t have ticket offices anyway and those that do never seem to be open when I’m catching a train! So can’t get too upset about them closing, as long as staff are redeployed not made redundant

We have touch screen ones there brilliant

between buying on line phone apps and self service I don’t think they can final justify having them

In all the years I’ve commuted and used train when kids were small I’ve never needed ticket office

Just buy a ticket on the app, most people are able to do that and the minority that can't, can easily speak to a member of staff or wait until on the train to buy their ticket. It's only the few ridiculous people who 'cant work ' the ticket machines who are incredulous about this. Everything is going self service, why not train tickets?

I think it depends on how much they're used. If not much then maybe there are better things that the staff can be doing.

To be clear I wouldn't want to see more stations becoming unstaffed but I'm not wedded to the idea that selling tickets in person is the best use of resources.

I used to work in the ticket office on the Shoeburyness to Fenchurch Street route.
In the week, our busiest period was approximately 6.30-8.30am. After 9am numbers would drop considerably. Things would pick up again from 4.30-6.30pm but not to the extent of the morning rush.
At weekends the busy periods would be 0930-1430.
Some stations were a lot busier than others.
I worked a Sunday shift at one station and sold 7 tickets in 5 hours but at one of our busiest stations I sold 1000 tickets one Saturday.
The thing is it’s not all about selling tickets, it’s refund queries, journey planning queries, dealing with drunk and disorderly passengers, homelessness, station safety matters and accidents.

In my eyes until the railway is accessible for all I.e step free access from train to platform to exit and easy to use ticket vending facilities then this will cause huge problems.

I’m not against the changes but it needs to be rolled out in a considered manner.

What would you actually use a ticket office

This was being discussed on Politics Live at lunchtime. It was said previously one in three tickets were bought at the ticket office where as now it’s only one in ten. Any stations that are currently manned will continue to be with staff being redeployed on the concourse. Now this was said by a Tory MP so may well be complete bollocks but if true, I can’t get worked up about it.

I also travel very regularly by train (no car so anywhere we go to requires the use of public transport and I haven't used a ticket office for at least 20 years!

My local station doesn't have a ticket office - all touchscreen or app, but has a customer service desk with a lovely helpful man who deals with ticket queries, access assistance etc.

Not ideal, but realistically if only a handful of people per day are using the service what are you going to do?

If it is anyone's fault, it is all those people using apps and the ticket machine.

PS is the ticket machine really that bad? It seems ok to me.

This!

Apparently they’ve been given redundancy notices so we know which way it’s going.

I can't support keeping very empty offices open. There's a labour shortage in most sectors, free those people up to do work that's needed.

I'd far rather have staff on the platforms actually helping people than sat looking bored behind a ticket office window, just watching all the people walking past who've bought their tickets online or via the machine!

Must be 20 years since I bought a ticket at a ticket office. Our local station doesn't have one, and the nearest main line station doesn't either.

Because I'm disabled and it's not always clear where staff will actually be.

I always used the ticket desk in the city where I live. There was a special type of return you could buy that isn't available on the machine. So now, if I'm visiting family a couple of hours away and want to stay a couple of nights, I have to buy two singles. It works out more expensive

I just think it's sad tbh.
Everything is done to save money and inconvenience the public.

I’m fine with it as only use machines anyway

What would you prefer though

More taxpayer funding, higher ticket prices or some other cost cutting

I always use the ticket desk. If that is done away with I shall either use a machine (many stations don't have them) or try to buy on the train. Or go by 'bus.

The Tories are determined to fuck up the railways. This is another part of the strategy.

They shouldn't shut them. It just leaves women and some others more vulnerable.

I haven't used a ticket office in any station in any country for about ten years now. It's easier, faster and cheaper to go online or use a ticket machine.