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/

HIDING FOR RIDICULOUS SEXISM CLAIM

Most systems moving towards using contactless payment card or like an oyster card that calculates your journey base on when you tap in or out. Tbh the need for a ticket office is dismishing rapidly. Better o have staff on concourse helping people for all manner of queries including using the machines.

Staff on the platforms/concourse isn't very useful if you can't get to the platforms because the ticket barriers are closed and you're struggling to buy a ticket.

It also worries me that it'll go the same way as self-service checkouts in supermarkets - there used to be someone standing right by them to help when the machine wasn't working properly or whatever but now they seem to have dispensed with them and you have to wait ages for the person to turn up when the machine is flashing for assistance. Not great if you need to catch a train...

We're part of the new expansion of contactless tap and pay a la oyster system, so no ticket will be needed and it calculates cheapest fares. Even my gran nearly 90 has a contactless debit card.
As for feeling safer with ticket office staff not my experience, they're often phone in hand , death scrolling and paying no attention anyway.

Why do companies always say improvements, when what they men is getting rid of people and cutting corners so we can put extra money in our pockets while giving the customer a rubbish service? We all know this won't improve anything.

The station in my village has neither staff nor a machine. It’s great, can’t think of the last time I’ve paid for a ticket into town. The conductor never makes it down the train by the time we get into town.

Where are you based? We seem a million miles away from this in Yorkshire where rail
prices depend on how far in advance you book and the time of day you travel. And how does this deal with first class travel?

I’m largely supportive of closing the ticket offices and reducing the cost base of rail travel, but I think they need to reintroduce allowing you to buy a normal ticket on the train without a fine to make it work, as it’s too often the machine doesn’t work, or someone can’t work it and there’s no one around to help (I travel from an entirety unmanned station).

It'll be robots on the platforms soon at this rate
I agree that self service anything is always poor now.

Not all self service machines actually work....my one doesn't. Not all people are ridiculous for not using self service tickets either!!

^^

Problem is, there will be redundancies and I bet they won't pass the savings on to the customer. And if staff are on the concourse, how do you find them in a hurry?

@TeleTropes South East, no such thing as first class travel or a cheaper advance ticket here!

Anyone who thinks they will move staff from the ticket offices out onto the concourses and platforms is naively hopeful. Redundancy notices have already gone out. Platform staff (who are already responsible for trains safely departing stations, wheelchair access to trains, enquiries etc on platforms) will just be expected to assist with ticketing as well.
Don't forget they're also looking at reducing the number of trains with guards on, catering staff are not being replaced when they leave either. Train travel is unlikely to be safer if all these changes happen.

Haven’t used a ticket office in the last 15 years or longer. Have often travelled very early/very late and there is no one staffing them at that point anyway so makes no odds to safety. Yes I have a smartphone, I’m below pension age and able bodied before anyone jumps on me.

The older people I know don’t use them either - they book online or buy at the machines.

A lot of the (dare I say media induced) outrage at this seems to centre on “the elderly! Pensioners! The disabled!” Whilst not appearing to ask anyone in those demographics whether it will directly affect them (the comments on the Daily Hate to be taken with a dose of salt at any given time).

It's not as if the machines are the only other option. There is also the option of the website or the app. Loads of rural stations have never had a ticket office.

They got rid of ticket offices on the tube about ten years ago. People said it would cause massive issues…. it didn’t, it functions just fine.

Since rail revenue is down to 70% of pre Covid use what would you do?

Get taxpayers to stump up, ticket price or cut costs

Many more wfh now and it shows in figures

It's not British Rail anymore: what century are you living in ?.

The train network is run by privatised Operating Companies and the reason they are trying to find economies is that passenger numbers are 30% down from pre covid levels, which is what it was twenty years ago, if only the costs were at that level too !.

The did a feature on the bbc six o clock news about disabled people and ticket offices at stations and they had a range of views about it.
It's not so much buying a ticket online , it's about safety too. Which I find more worrying than having to down load an app or however you do it now.

It discriminates against the elderly. My DM doesn't have internet & goes to her local station to ask about & buy tickets. It’s sad that it may stop some older people travelling.

The train companies don't give a fig about people who struggle with tech or buying a ticket at a machine. They never will

How would you fix the issue with the big drop in rail use

I think it sucks for the staff, presumably more jobs will be axed but it probably is a sensible move. Times have changed, tickets can be bought online, from machines or in advance.

It does cause issues for a lot of people though. If you are passing through it fine then you are not seeing the issues other people face. Less staff, be realistic, means more demand in those staff. I have many times been in a tube station and struggled to find a member of staff to help. They can be helping someone else and as soon as they have finished they move. It's not the same as being able to queue at a ticket window and wait your turn: station staff move about. Unless you hover around the person they are helping and have effective communication skills you can find it very hard to get their attention before they have walked off.

You only need to read Twitter to know that this will affect a lot of disabled people