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/

I don’t really get the hindsight argument.

The response was prolonged over a couple of years. Even if for a few weeks we had done the lockdown the cost and massive damage would have been minimal compared to what was incurred

Dc could have missed school for a couple of weeks, businesses could have operated without the huge support

Some did realise early on that this was a fear campaign for compliance - something backed up in MH whatsapp when he said scare them

We should have had better ability to hear about the costs and damage

Ignore

Wrong thread, will delete

For myself I can live without ticket offices, I do it all online.
However I use them a lot in my job, as a support worker going places with people with disabilities, getting tickets with certain discounts and the self service machines not working or being confusing. Finding out info. Renewing passes. When they're travelling alone they defo need help.
If they'll be on the platform how will people ask them for help if they can't get through barrier without a ticket?
So what if only 12% use them.. that's still a lot. Who use them for a reason. Christ they're already suffering with traveller numbers, this will just reduce further.

It’s just a race to the bottom and probably pointless in terms of saving money anyway. I’ll try to check it out but my guess is that station staff are a very minor cost in the running of the railway system, so a case of rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic.

it depresses me that the people involved just don’t get it, the trains are slow, unreliable, expensive and restrictive; fix that and then afford as many ticket offices (& bonuses) as they want.

also depressing is the smugness of some people who’re so tied up crowning how clever and zeitgeisty they are they don’t even notice that we’re all being treated like idiots

They can learn to use one. I know old people hate learning new things but it's probably better for them and reduces the risk of alzeimers.

No staff in stations will lead to no toilets as well.

our local station only has staff 6-8 in the morning now and despite them saying staff would still be around and toilets open it doesn’t happen

@Happyfluffball

They can learn to use one.

No, not they can't. Quite often older people lose the ability to learn new things. The same with disabled people, it's not something they can juts decide to suddenly find ability for, if they can't do it they can't do it. How dare you suggest otherwise

I travel by train daily. I have a season ticket (that I bought at the ticket office - I could have got online)
However when I take DS on the train his fare is £2 ....but not all the ticket machines have the £2 child fare, the default setting is half fare which is much more expensive.And some super off peak fares mean tapping through several pages of options to find. (Probably annoying the people behind in the queue or prompting an AIBU - why do people faff about so much when buying rail tickets - answer because the ticket machines are designed with the most popular and most expensive fares most easy to find)

I do understand that it's not cost effective to man ticket offices if no one buys a ticket there but I'm also 100% sure it's not a saving that will be passed on to the passenger.

another point to note is that while putting staff on stations may sound like a reasonable solution the platform is often far/out of sight of the gates. If the staff member has gone through the gates to the platform nobody will be able to access help in getting their ticket.

I don't mind as long as:

• stations are (still) adequately staffed
• ticket machines and online resources/apps actually work
• there are still options to buy a ticket from a person - from station staff on the platform or on the train itself
• there are still guards on trains/properly staffed trains. I don't think driver only trains are a good idea.

Are you deliberately trying to be goady or are you always so ignorant.

Where are people buying tickets on trains? And how would you get on the train if you couldn't get through the barrier?
The only member of staff on the train that I occassionally see is a ticket inspector and they're more likely to fine you for not having a ticket than sell you one?

My late DF couldn't physically use a smartphone because of health conditions but he went out a lot on trains and buses, he had one of those very simple phones with large numbers to use for calls

I'm in Scotland and a lot of our smaller stations are without barriers so it's common for people to jump in and buy on board. Even at Edinburgh the LNER services Aberdeen - London are usually on platform 2/19 which have no barrier so you can get on without a ticket and buy on board.

I always travel to my nearest town because I might need assistance at the station. The local small station is no use to me.

This. Having just had to deal with an elderly learning disabled lady reduced to literal sobbing distress by a standard letter from BT saying they are transferring her to Digital Voice (for a lady who has literally never touched a computer and who got rid of her non-smart mobile phone because it was beyond her), I can assure you that some people absolutely cannot learn.

The lady in question lives in sheltered accommodation. I have no doubt some of her 90 year old neighbours are ubering to the station to use their smartphone tickets to whiz off to the nearest city on a regular basis. Others like ‘Susan’ can just about manage the local public transport on a route they know well.

The bus company changed the route of one of the two buses she took. She couldn’t cope with the new route so she no longer goes to those shops unless someone gives her a lift. A minor change and it literally cut her activities in half. I offered to go with her the first time but she simply doesn’t have the confidence and is terrified of getting the wrong bus.

I can see similar happening to a lot of elderly / disabled people.

I'm disabled. Not old and work in project management in a Bank...

When I travel, I want a ticket - not on my phone. I'm all apped out and am on an old iPhone 7 so some apps aren't supported anyway. I'm about to upgrade but why should people be expected to spend money they don't always have?

I prefer to pay cash as my account is a black hole so I take out £200 and we can keep better track of what we are spending.

I can see both sides as if there isn't the footfall to justify it can be hard as a business but when cinemas sell tickets at the popcorn counter there has to be a compromise somewhere.

Unfortunately this is the way everything is going and I can guarantee people won't get a better service at the end of it.

Ds2 is mid 20s is good with tech and has a job using a PC all the time and uses his phone for mostly everything , but he still messed up his train ticket online once and couldn't get a refund. It's easy done even by those who know what they are doing.
Trying to correct any genuine mistakes or talk to anyone is impossible these days and that will get worse.
It's all down to the individual, which is a slippery slope and I bet they factor in the extra money they will make by people not finding the right deals or maybe messing it up.

My mum has told me this many times. And yet when I can't call her back in time she somehow works it out.

Lots of stations in the Midlands without barriers (even in stations where the London train stops) Also, barriers usually left open when ticket office shut.

I regularly hear the conductor being asked for a ticket to Y station from X station when I’m sitting on the train.

@Happyfluffball

My mum has told me this many times. And yet when I can't call her back in time she somehow works it out.

And your mum being awkward with you is your basis for deciding all elderly and disabled people can learn new things, is it?

They don't sound too fragile to be travelling on trains.

There are people who genuinely have disabilities or illnesses but a good proportion of them just refuse to learn.

@Happyfluffball

They don't sound too fragile to be travelling on trains.

What the actual fuck

@Happyfluffball

At this point. I think you are just taking the piss.

And the elderly lady I know doesn’t work it out and just sits and suffers.

One might almost think not all elderly people are the same.