Office closed: dozens of ticket offices are to close

Reader views (29)

 Add your view

I work for the underground and I can say they are changing our mindset to spend more time with customers, the idea is for us to be "on the floor" rather then locked away in an office, this includes the gates (think about it, if your ticket jams or doesn't work, a staff member HAS to be there) and platform (despite not many people listening to what we say); so I don't understand why people are saying it will reduce customer-staff interaction. A further note is that the Underground is currently recruiting 16-32 staff EACH week.

- Vincent, London

As there will be fewer staff on the TFL payroll, one assumes the cost of travel will be reduced in line with this? Sorry!, what the hell was I thinking?

- Darren, Wanstead, East London

Not a problem...providing the ticket machines work...and indeed can issue all the tickets necessary - usually I find I can't buy a child's ticket from a machine when I'm travelling with my young son.

- Nick, London

What a bad idea, the customer interface is to go, no-one on the platforms and now no-one in the the office - what a great attitude to customers! Still they can watch us wandering around lost or getting mugged on the CCTV!

- Brian, Wiltshire

You won't see any staff out on the platform or ticket barrier in some of the stations in zones 3-6 if they shut the ticket office, as often thanks to drunken and violent behaviour by passengers etc. These stations are too dangerous for the staff to hang around.

- Mel, Victoria

I cannot help but think ticket office staff have brought this upon themselves with their inefficiency and rudeness. I am much more likely to top up my oyster at the local newsagents, where I am greeted by a polite and efficient salesperson. This is much more preferrable than using the ticket office at my tube station which seems to be staffed by people with learning difficulties.

- Pavel, Rayners Lane

As an occasional visitor to London, Oyster cards are not an option. Some machines do not take foreign credit cards therefore they cannot be used; machines do not give change. Therefore I will have to travel illegally and pay a large fine. Not a way to encourage tube travel and the use of public services.

- Simon, Bucharest - Romania

The last time I used the Oyster ticket machine to put more money on the card there was a technical problem and my £20 note was swallowed up. Fortunately a member of staff was available to sort the mess out but I guess that in future when this type of incident happens the money would be lost forever into our leader Ken's bulging coffers.

- Simon Hill, London NW2

There really is some strange Big Brother idea behind these oyster cards, couple these together with the proposed ID cards and we can be tracked wherever we go. Not only by the police but marketing companies.
I think that the Britain is getting a pretty scary place with all of the surviellance that is going on.

- Paul Urban, London, UK

"And what about the partially sighted or blind?"

Partially sighted and blind travel free.

As for tourists, if they can get themselves here, I'm sure most are smart enough to work out how to use a ticket machine, especially as the larger machines come in a variety of languages.

Why do people get so patronising about tourists? They might not be local, but that doesn't make them stupid.

- Md, London, UK

Personally, I'd rather buy a ticket from a person than a machine. However, I have two rather more serious thoughts (in addition to the already mentioned question of what happens when the machine is out of order). What about tourists and what about the partially sighted? The last time I had to buy an underground ticket from a machine - which was, I admit, some years ago - I got utterly confused by the machine and didn't know which ticket I needed. And what about the partially sighted or blind? My gran used to use public transport to do her shopping but she has to use taxis now because her local train station (overground) isn't manned and she can't see to buy a ticket from the machine. She is otherwise fully able to use the train system. Does this suggestion for the underground risk putting other people in my gran's position?

- Suzanne, London

Ok, so what happens when people who HAVE Oyster need to top-up and the machines...hold on, wait, in most stations there is only ONE Oyster machine, that'll be machine singular, is down? This has happened to me on MORE than one occasion when I have been somewhere that doesn't have a shop nearby offering the top-up service.

And by the way, Paul Urban, if you weren't so busy convincing yourself it's all a 1984-style plot you might not have missed the fact that you don't have to give any personal details about yourself at all if you want Oyster pre-pay. You just hand over £3 deposit and the card is yours. And with regard to monthly and annual cards, you had to provide personal details for these years before Oyster came in.

- Sez, London

>> A Tube spokesman claimed the move would make stations safer, as workers would be more "visible" on platforms

Sorry, but this is definately not the case. You are more likely to spot the Loch Ness Monster than any station staff.

- Brian, London, UK

They're forcing us to use Oyster, all part of the Big Brother plan.

- Ben, London

He's not even doing this to save costs as the staff will be 'retrained'. I can't see the point he is trying to make except that he is not qualified for the job he is in.

- Don, London

If they are serious about this they need to install far more ticket machines, particularly the ones which allow you to carry out Oyster transactions. I am always suprised how few machines there are - I lived in Japan for a few years where a similar system to Oyster was implemeted (called Mellon in Tokyo), however there are rows and rows of ticket machines in even the smallest stations so it's very quick and simple - I never remember queuing once for a ticket at any station. In London you usually find 1 measly machine with a queue of many people waiting to use it.

- Mark B, London

What makes me laugh is how we're being told move to Oyster, all the time... and yet, it's rubbish - they fail all the time, and when they do that's 4 quid down the drain for that day, plus the fact that most stations still have more 'tourist trap' coin operated machines than they do machines to update your Oyster... so you end up queuing while people with paper tickets are on their way through the barriers off to the trains...

The priorities here are screwed.

- Neil Evans, Notting Hill

There will be chaos when the ticket machines are out of order. Not everyone has an Oyster card Ken!

- Mel, Highgate

Great idea! The average ticket machine is far more helpful than the average member of LU staff, so more machines please!
Better still, do away with all the ticketing infrastructure and staff and just make it free!

- Md, London, UK

TfL is constantly trying to push commuters into using Oyster cards by moves such as this and raising the price of ordinary tickets. However Oyster cards cannot be used on overground stations so this is unfair for us who live in south east London where we do not ahve the tube.

Cannon Street station also has an overground train station so this will cause difficulties.

- Imogen, Lewisham, London

It’s a bloody outrage. When was the last time Ken travelled on the tube, he couldn’t be more clueless? Our stations are already over crowded, the queues for machines take hours, and now he wants to add to all that commotion. I really think Mr. Livingstone should take a long hard look at what a mess he’s making of our city.

- Annabel, Notting Hill

What are tourists and other people visiting London who do not have an Oyster card meant to do? Stations such as regents park are in prime tourism areas. Staff need to be on hand to give advice.

- Lindsey, Wiltshire, UK

Strangely, I feel an urge to practice my climbing and vaulting skills.

- John Evans, London, UK

If Ken wants to economise he should start fining the maintenance contract firms for the delays to the network which last time I read, some stations are running 19 years behind schedule.

- Trevor Roll, London

It's not just the presence of station staff that is needed but the presence of British Transport Police. That is what would ultimately help deter crime and ticket dodging at the stations. It's the job of transport police to tackle the criminals on the stations, not the station staff.

- Vivek, London

Great idea! Remove the ticket office and force people to be self-reliant. Good idea Ken! Right behind you!

- Foster Head, Ealing

Poppycock. Just remove everything we need so we can all struggle some more. Why does Ken think this is a good idea? More people (especially those that don't speak English very well) will struggle to use the tube and not get the help they need to travel by train. This is ludicrous.

- Blooregard Q Kazoo, Lancaster Gate

This will only cause confusion. When you're stranded and you need a ticket inspector person, you'll just jump the barrier instead of leaving the station. It'll only cause more problems.

- Happy Days, Acton Town

I don't understand Ken's infatuation with oyster cards. It has just made a 2 tier system, I am now part of the oysterless underclass because I don't want to give personal details and have my movements followed be it by the police or sold to some market research company.
This is all a bit fascist of Ken to do this, I work in Tooley Street not far from the Mayor's Office and he seems to like to have banners placed on lamp post that wouldn't look out of place in Nazi Germany.
I don't know about Red Ken, he seems more like true blue Ken the way he is cosying up to big business.

- Paul Urban, London, UK

Add your comment