Ticket Office Closure Consultation

[whole diary]

[old original]

Given that Bristol TM^‡(resolve), Paddington, Reading, Oxford have no ticket offices beyond Decemeber 2024, does that mean that there will be no ticket offices on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) from that date?

Customer Hubs at the larger stations will retail those items not available from TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) or online. I would expect one of these at each of those you mention

Will they?.
As PhilWakely has already pointed out above, there is the line in GWR's  document which states...
"Date changes to Advance Purchase tickets will not be possible after windows are closed"
If they can't do that what else won't they do..

[old original]

If a passenger needs/wants/asks for assistance, then that staff member may be with another custmer - but any business will want their 'customer-facing' staff in front of their customers, where customers are to be found, in station booking halls generally. So not difficult to find unless with other customers

So - you close and lock the old ticket office and the staff member stands outside? The implication of "Staff would move out of ticket offices and on station platforms, concourses and ticket halls, adopting new ‘customer help’ roles already in place in many parts of the railway" is that they are mobile!

..also specifically with single manned stations, where the staff occupy the office between trains, the ticket issuing machine and cash is retained in the office. The staff member goes out & deals with passenger assistance and despatch.
When the office gets closed we presume the staff member could then be carrying a machine & cash with them, which itself is a safety & security issue and what to do with them when the time comes to put the ramp out for a wheelchair, back to the office to lock them away? What waste of time 

[ChrisB]

Which single-manned stations operate a ticket office currently & dispatch trains?

Booking Office staff aren't allowed out currently without securing all monies within their safe.

[ChrisB]

What is annoying me is that each TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) appears to have produced documents with different info.

SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) have classified their stations into groups & determined operating hours for retail staffing, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) provides a lot of current info but not much going forward except to identify that all their ticket offices will be gone by Dec24, and when staff might be expected out in front of them, and LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about) have identified which stations will retain full retail ability & which won't.

LNER twitter quotes

Doncaster, Edinburgh Waverley, Peterborough, London King’s Cross, Newcastle and York where Ticket offices will remain. In future, these will be referred to as Customer Information Centres.

Why can't they all do the same exercise & put out the same info?

Here's the GTR stations retaining 'ticket offices'/full retail

[ChrisB]

Apologies - just spotted that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) do show proposed retail opportunity times going forward

[Bob_Blakey]

One statistic that is conveniently forgotten is the significant number of tickets purchased online or at a TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) that are purchased incorrectly and corrected at the ticket office ("I bought a single but meant to buy a return, can you change it please?").

Easily fixed; make tickets amendable under all circumstances via TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) websites and Apps (this functionality is already available with restrictions via the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) portals) and only sell single tickets (2 singles = a return).

[old original]

Which single-manned stations operate a ticket office currently & dispatch trains?

Booking Office staff aren't allowed out currently without securing all monies within their safe.

In Cornwall we have a couple of "one man bands"
Camborne and Par to start with, plus St Erth outside the summer season

[ChrisB]

We do too on the North Cotswolds, but they're either DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) or guard despatched. No ticket office input at all.

[AMLAG]

Ticket office staff are currently in an enclosed environment /room protected by a strong glass window for their safety and security, not only for themselves but for the security of sensitive customer transaction details and of course revenue /cash etc.

Many ticket office staff, will, as basically ‘floor walkers’, more easily become vulnerable to verbal and even physical abuse from ‘undesirable‘ customers and the less fit and able will find it hard work staying on their feet for most of their shift.

By all means Railway Management should (again) have the ability for ongoing reviews ( in consultation with local Union reps.) of ticket office staffing levels and hours, as was always done.

[CedricCecil]

Totnes Station - Can there really have been only 6 Rovers/Rangers sold in the last Year.

[old original]

We do too on the North Cotswolds, but they're either DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) or guard despatched. No ticket office input at all.

Those stations mentioned in Cornwall are staffed, not by clerical but platform staff who do ticket transactions but are expected to do the full range that you would find in a larger station.

It maybe the case that a lot of services now self despatch but I think the station staff are still expected to deal with passenger assistance issues plus sweeping platforms & cleaning duties. I still have contacts and will clarify if I can

[ChrisB]

OOOh, this is getting a tad juicy. The ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) has stepped in with a letter to TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company).....

Jacqui Russell
Head of Consumer Team

TOC MDs; and
TOC accessibility leads
[by email]
5 July 2023

Dear Industry Colleagues

Station ticket office reforms

Operators have today published consultations on proposals to make changes to the responsibilities of station staff and to close ticket offices. I am writing to provide an overview of a number potentially relevant regulatory considerations that may be helpful as you refine your plans, and to formally ask you to provide an initial high level review of your proposals against ORR’s Accessible Travel Policy (ATP^▸ (Automatic Train Protection)) guidance.

Changes to ticket office opening hours

Changes to ticket office opening hours (including closures) are governed by the processes set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA^▸ (Ticketing and Settlement Agreement.)) and guidance published by the Department for Transport (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)). Alongside, ORR has a long-term ongoing role in ensuring that passenger interests are protected in key areas, underpinned by licence requirements and consumer law. Under DfT’s guidance, any proposal to close a ticket office is considered to be a major change. Operators must publish details of their proposals, with passengers invited to make representations to Transport Focus (TF) and London TravelWatch (LTW). TF/LTW may then seek amendments to proposals from the operators. Should concerns remain they can raise an objection to the Secretary of State who will make a final decision.

Accessible Travel Policy review

All train and station operators must establish and comply with an ATP as a condition of their licence, setting out their provision for disabled passengers. ATPs must meet the detailed requirements set out in our guidance. While these requirements are particularly relevant to disabled people, such as the provision of assistance to travel, they can equally be applied more widely and, in this context, that includes requirements relating to ticketing and passenger information. The Annex extracts those aspects of the ATP guidance that are potentially relevant to changes to station staffing and ticket offices. To ensure that your ATP remains accurate for passengers and meets the requirements of the ATP guidance we are seeking an initial understanding of the areas where we believe that early engagement on changes will be helpful, including
where we can provide additional clarity or support in this process.

Your response should:
• Provide a high-level summary of the changes that you are proposing to make to ticket offices and station staffing.
• Identify any areas where you anticipate proposing changes to your ATP documents, and where possible outline what those changes would be.
• Identify any other changes that you propose to make at stations to ensure compliance with the ATP guidance, with particular reference to the areas identified in the Annex.
 
We do not expect to request or receive revised ATP documentation until there is more certainty over the changes that may be implemented. The process for revising ATPs will then follow the usual process. As part of this we will expect you to show how you have sought and considered feedback from local groups, and we will consult with DPTAC, Transport Focus and (where relevant) London TravelWatch where any material changes are proposed.

Please contact David Kimball (david.kimball@orr.gov.uk) if you have any queries. We will be inviting operators to a meeting to clarify ATP requirements and the review process, and to offer the opportunity to explore any questions you may
have. Please submit your response to ATP@orr.gov.uk by Friday 21 July.

I am copying this letter to RDG^‡(resolve), DfT, Transport Focus, and London TravelWatch.
 
Yours sincerely
Jacqui Russell

The annex can be found as part of the pdf of this letter here

Fight!

[ChrisB]

A first stab.....

To: TicketOffice.GWR@transportfocus.org.uk <ticketoffice.gwr@transportfocus.org.uk>

I OBJECT to the proposed closure and down grading of ticket offices.   
                                                                                                                                                                                    1.The fastest way of obtaining a ticket is still from the ticket office.

2. The fastest I can buy a ticket from a machine is 3 minutes. You have to go through the A-Z station finder; select single or returns; add a rail card; authorize payment card; wait for printing.

3. Most stations only have a single ticket machine, so 10 passengers would have to wait 30 minutes +, which is clearly unacceptable.

4. Ticket machines located outside are difficult to use with reflective glare from sunlight.

5. Railrovers / Ranger tickets & other products like some railcards for example cannot be bought from ticket machines. Reservations cannot be made. How does one obtain a photocard & then a monthly or longer season ticket? Other examples currently exist with no proposals as to how they will be solved IN ADVANCE of any closure.
Also unavailable - season replacement, excesses, ticket refunds after disruption & deciding to abandon travel.

6. Not everyone has a smart phone. I do not.

7. This will only encourage ticketless travel, a problem conductors cannot cope with at present on 5 let alone 9 carriage IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) on the North Cotswold Line.

8. GWR do not offer print at home tickets.

9. Not all pre-booked tickets are downloaded from TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine)'s on arrival at the station and passengers still ask booking office staff to do this. Will the retail staff still be able to do this for customers?

10. How will one find out about specific time restrictions on tickets to enable travel planning or will one just choose to go by car?

Feel free to add to this....

[Bmblbzzz]

Ticket office staff are currently in an enclosed environment /room protected by a strong glass window for their safety and security, not only for themselves but for the security of sensitive customer transaction details and of course revenue /cash etc.

Many ticket office staff, will, as basically ‘floor walkers’, more easily become vulnerable to verbal and even physical abuse from ‘undesirable‘ customers and the less fit and able will find it hard work staying on their feet for most of their shift.

By all means Railway Management should (again) have the ability for ongoing reviews ( in consultation with local Union reps.) of ticket office staffing levels and hours, as was always done.

Good point, but I expect it would be dealt with by simply ending cash transactions.

[Bmblbzzz]

Experience from Friday: I walked to Redland and used the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) to buy a Super Off-Peak return to Didcot, intending to take the 10:30 from Temple Meads. In fact I arrived there early enough to take the 10:00* but wasn't sure if the SOP^▸ (Standard Operating Instructions) was valid on that, so – I asked a member of staff on the platform (who confirmed that yes, it was valid). So in this case, platform good, office not used.

*Red Squirrel might commiserate me that this denied me pasty-eating time!