News from Caroline Pidgeon:London Underground ticket offices facing savage reduction of 7458 hours every week

Research by Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, has revealed London Underground are planning to close ticket offices across the underground by 7458 hours every week. 

Responding to London Underground’s defence of the reduced hours and their repeated claim that all tube stations with a ticket office will continue to have one Caroline Pidgeon said:

“London Underground and the Mayor are playing with words when they keep peddling the claim that no ticket office will actually close.   The harsh reality is that if you can’t access a ticket office for most hours of the day it is effectively closed.

“Ticket office staff carry out many tasks to help customers, with their duties going far beyond just serving tickets.  If staff numbers are severely reduced at 9 out of 10 stations it will become far more difficult for staff to help disabled and vulnerable customers and other people who need assistance including visitors.   

“London Underground's simplistic portrayal of many ticket offices being quiet places where few tickets are actually sold overlooks the vital service and safety that staffed ticket offices provide.   If the plans were to allow ticket office staff to go in and out of the office, depending on the needs at a station, and without a reduction in staff numbers that would help to improve customer services.  But to simply cut ticket office hours and take away so many frontline staff makes no sense.  In the end it is passengers who will loose out.”

“London Underground should stop overlooking the vital role that ticket offices and properly staffed stations provide.   The strong arguments that Boris Johnson put forward for defending ticket offices before his election are as valid today as they were two years ago.” 

ENDS

Boris Johnson’s transport manifesto Getting Londoners Moving stated:

"I will also defend local ticket offices." (page 9)

"We deplore Ken Livingstone’s proposed closure of 40 London ticket offices on the underground network….

"TfL claims that these offices made hardly any ticket sales, such is the widespread use of Oyster. However, many of these ticket offices still make ticket sales of more than 100 tickets per day. In addition, manned ticket offices provide a reassuring, visible presence. They can act as first point of call in times of emergency or help and staff can see the whole station via CCTV screens." (page 38).

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2009/04/27/Transportmanifesto.pdf

For further information contact Mark Morris 020 7983 4336 or 07917 214788