Proposals to close ticket offices

[sjsl]

Personally I think this is a terrible idea which affects the people who need help the most. There is a public consultation, info at https://www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/ticket-offices-have-your-say/

As far as I can see you have to contact each network separately which isn't great, but worth letting them know what you think.

[IlonaM]

There is also a petition:

https://act.38degrees.org.uk/act/keep-ticket-offices-open-petition

[malumbu]

Most of us don't use ticket offices.  There obviously needs to be arrangements for those that do and I expect organisations supporting the elderly and vulnerable will campaign for this.

[Bic Basher]

I'm in two minds about this.   Most people including the elderly and disabled use some form of Oyster card or debit/credit card (including the Freedom Pass & 60+) for travelling within London, but for those who can't use the internet or need the advice of ticket clerks, it's a negative. 

However, it's very easy to buy rail tickets online and collect from the ticket machines.   I've been collecting rail tickets to travel across the country for years either at Forest Hill or East Dulwich.   Forest Hill being a London Overground station can also sell boundary zone tickets from the machines to destinations outside London.

This has been years in the making, as soon as National Rail stations were added to Oyster PAYG, they deliberately hiked up paper tickets from our stations to ensure that people use Oyster and with Contactless being used more than Oyster these days, it's really game over inside London at least.     The train operating companies outside London have introduced smart cards as an alternative to paper tickets, but they're the same price as the paper one.

[OutOfFocus]

I share bic bashers 2 minds. I have a hidden disability that makes bith ticket machine and websites difficult. 

I have elderly freedom card but struggled to buy tickets to extend my journey out of the freedom pass area. Ticket offices can be easier.

[malumbu]

I was at a DLR station last night and I couldn't get national rail tickets from it.  A true but slightly facetious response.  I'd jus like everything to be joined up.  I'm travelling LNER and they simply email me a PDF.  GWR I need their Bally ap.  Oyster is brill (thanks Ken) but at times I'd like to split a fare between my Oyster and debit card without getting off the train.  All sortable I expect and how bally brilliant having my discount card on an ap.

[Bic Basher]

  On 08/07/2023 at 23:07, malumbu said:

I was at a DLR station last night and I couldn't get national rail tickets from it.  A true but slightly facetious response.  I'd jus like everything to be joined up.  I'm travelling LNER and they simply email me a PDF.  GWR I need their Bally ap.  Oyster is brill (thanks Ken) but at times I'd like to split a fare between my Oyster and debit card without getting off the train.  All sortable I expect and how bally brilliant having my discount card on an ap.

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If TfL could assign the Oyster discount I receive to my contactless card, it'd make life a lot more easier than having to top up every week.

[Pugwash]

Age UK are campaigning against the closures. I use ticket offices when am travelling outside London. Found that with my Freedom Pass plus Older Persons' Rail Card  that the machines cannot cope with 2 different cards. Ticket Offices give good advice as to whether you save more money by having a different ticket or departure time. Have a couple of friends who are visually impaired and they cannot use the machines so need help. Also noticed on one occasion that a wheelchair user could not reach all the 'buttons'.

[SpringTime]

  On 20/07/2023 at 14:43, Pugwash said:

Age UK are campaigning against the closures. I use ticket offices when am travelling outside London. Found that with my Freedom Pass plus Older Persons' Rail Card  that the machines cannot cope with 2 different cards. Ticket Offices give good advice as to whether you save more money by having a different ticket or departure time. Have a couple of friends who are visually impaired and they cannot use the machines so need help. Also noticed on one occasion that a wheelchair user could not reach all the 'buttons'.

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Totally agree. I much prefer dealing with humans at kiosks and enjoy their help and advice. When things go wrong with automated systems we need other humans to help us out. Removing ticket offices negatively compromises human interaction, removes livelihoods, and stops help being given to people who really need it. Bad idea.

[Sue]

I have a freedom pass and I also find it complicated on a ticket machine if I want to use the freedom pass to the end of zone six  but buy  a return ticket for the rest of the journey, particularly if I don't know what the relevant end of zone six station is for that line.

I recently missed a train because the ticket office was closed and a helpful member of staff at Farringdon Street wasn't able to work out how to do it on the ticket machine either 🙄

[Bic Basher]

London Overground ticket machines will sell Boundary Zone 6 tickets to destinations outside London, but you have to be aware that they do them in the first place which is half the problem if you already struggle with using ticket machines.

For it to work properly, there needs to be staff who can help passengers who really do struggle with them as you see at London Underground stations most of the time.