Ticket Office Closure Consultation Response
Response from Merton Liberal Democrats to the consultation regarding proposals to close station ticket offices
To South Western Railway
1. We are writing in response to the SWR consultation underway regarding proposed ticket office closures affecting stations in and around the London Borough of Merton (Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Motspur Park, Haydons Road, Mitcham Junction, Mitcham Eastfields and Tooting).
2. Whilst we recognise most tickets are now purchased online or through machines, a significant number – 12% of all rail tickets – are still purchased at staffed ticket offices. We therefore note with concern the news that almost all of the remaining rail ticket offices, bar at the busiest stations, face closure following discussions between the Department for Transport and the Rail Delivery Group and changes to the Government's guidance relating to ticket office opening hours.
3. Whilst we support the idea of having more staff 'out and about' on stations generally, the importance of a ticket office is that it is an accessible point where people know they can find staff – even if this is only for core hours, or with limited ticket desks open. It is also unreasonable to expect staff to offer complex advice while standing on a platform. They can at best help people to use ticket machines. But not all tickets can be purchased from ticket machines and a ticket vending machine is there for people who know what they want to buy - it's not for people who are searching for what they need.
4. We believe that ticket offices provide a vital service to our residents. Ticket office closures are likely to disproportionately affect elderly and disabled residents alongside those who may not know how to select the most appropriate journey options to keep fares down. Many London Boroughs attract tourists and visitors from around the world who need easily accessible and responsive customer services – Merton has both the AELTC/Wimbledon Championships and the AFC Wimbledon Stadium. While travel within greater London is relatively straightforward with touch-in touch-out with bank and Oyster cards - tickets for travel to other destinations can be complicated with lots of alternatives to choose from. So, having a clearly sign-posted place in the station for people with ticket enquiries provides certainty and confidence for customers who may struggle to otherwise locate station staff.
5. Whilst mentioning touch-in-touch-out - we believe this should be extended for the SW London area to at least Guildford and Dorking so that all destinations covered by direct trains from Wimbledon, Raynes Park and Motspur Park can be ticketed in this way.
6. Additionally, not all residents and visitors are able to use station ticket machines or have the means to book a ticket in advance. Complicated journeys involving connections are likely to require human assistance to ensure customers purchase the most appropriate and cheapest tickets, and do not incur penalties or pay more than necessary for their journey.
7. We note plans to modernise the retailing offer, and proposals to transition station staff to new multi-skilled roles with a clear focus on helping customers. We further note proposals to create a single team on each station, working together to help customers with different aspects of their journeys from journey planning to ticket purchasing.
8. However, it is unclear why (a) upskilling staff needs to result in the closure of ticket offices, or (b) why the team shouldn't cover both the station and the ticket offices (to a certain degree).
9. It is unclear if the consultation looks at alternative customer contact solutions. One possible solution might be a telephone enquiry service which can also sell tickets which could either be delivered electronically or collected as conventional tickets from a ticket vending machine. This should be a free service (no additional charges beyond the ticket price) and there should be guaranteed response times (such as 90% of calls answered within 1 minute) as for National Rail Enquiries.
10.We also note the consultation does not provide an indication of the current staffing team at each station, nor the proposed size of the replacement teams going forward. We are therefore concerned about the possible implications for current station staff and over possible staff redundancies – given that there will be no regulations for minimum staffing levels at stations and on platforms.
11.We therefore think this needs to be looked at again, particularly in light of responses received through this – very short – period of consultation.
Liberal Democrats Merton
July 2023
To Thameslink/Southern
1. We are writing in response to the Thameslink consultation underway regarding proposed ticket office closures affecting stations in and around the London Borough of Merton (Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Motspur Park, Haydons Road, Mitcham Junction, Mitcham Eastfields and Tooting).
2. Whilst we recognise most tickets are now purchased online or through machines, a significant number – 12% of all rail tickets – are still purchased at staffed ticket offices. We therefore note with concern the news that almost all of the remaining rail ticket offices, bar at the busiest stations, face closure following discussions between the Department for Transport and the Rail Delivery Group and changes to the Government's guidance relating to ticket office opening hours.
3. Whilst we support the idea of having more staff 'out and about' on stations generally, the importance of a ticket office is that it is an accessible point where people know they can find staff – even if this is only for core hours, or with limited ticket desks open. It is also unreasonable to expect staff to offer complex advice while standing on a platform. They can at best help people to use ticket machines. But not all tickets can be purchased from ticket machines and a ticket vending machine is there for people who know what they want to buy - it's not for people who are searching for what they need.
4. We believe that ticket offices provide a vital service to our residents. Ticket office closures are likely to disproportionately affect elderly and disabled residents alongside those who may not know how to select the most appropriate journey options to keep fares down. Many London Boroughs attract tourists and visitors from around the world who need easily accessible and responsive customer services – Merton has both the AELTC/Wimbledon Championships and the AFC Wimbledon Stadium. While travel within greater London is relatively straightforward with touch-in touch-out with bank and Oyster cards - tickets for travel to other destinations can be complicated with lots of alternatives to choose from. So, having a clearly sign-posted place in the station for people with ticket enquiries provides certainty and confidence for customers who may struggle to otherwise locate station staff.
5. Whilst mentioning touch-in-touch-out - we believe this should be extended for the SW London area to at least Guildford and Dorking so that all destinations covered by direct trains from Wimbledon, Raynes Park and Motspur Park can be ticketed in this way.
6. Additionally, not all residents and visitors are able to use station ticket machines or have the means to book a ticket in advance. Complicated journeys involving connections are likely to require human assistance to ensure customers purchase the most appropriate and cheapest tickets, and do not incur penalties or pay more than necessary for their journey.
7. We note plans to modernise the retailing offer, and proposals to transition station staff to new multi-skilled roles with a clear focus on helping customers. We further note proposals to create a single team on each station, working together to help customers with different aspects of their journeys from journey planning to ticket purchasing.
8. However, it is unclear why (a) upskilling staff needs to result in the closure of ticket offices, or (b) why the team shouldn't cover both the station and the ticket offices (to a certain degree).
9. It is unclear if the consultation looks at alternative customer contact solutions. One possible solution might be a telephone enquiry service which can also sell tickets which could either be delivered electronically or collected as conventional tickets from a ticket vending machine. This should be a free service (no additional charges beyond the ticket price) and there should be guaranteed response times (such as 90% of calls answered within 1 minute) as for National Rail Enquiries.
10.We also note the consultation does not provide an indication of the current staffing team at each station, nor the proposed size of the replacement teams going forward. We are therefore concerned about the possible implications for current station staff and over possible staff redundancies – given that there will be no regulations for minimum staffing levels at stations and on platforms.
11.We therefore think this needs to be looked at again, particularly in light of responses received through this – very short – period of consultation.
Liberal Democrats Merton
July 2023