Ticket Offices R.I.P?

[Zygotic_mychi]

Have been applying for Retail Travel Advisor roles recently, yet the recent LU strikes over the closure of all ticket offices does me wonder whether I'm applying for a job that in years to come will not exist. Even on the TOC's website, who have recently closed down 9 ticket offices on their network, have stated that less than half of all tickets sold are now sold via their ticket offices.

Opinions.

Is the ticket office living on borrowed time?

Will TOC's mirror their European neighbours and only have stations with ticket machines?

 

[swt_passenger]

To be accurate, there haven't been any strikes yet, they've voted to hold them next month and published dates.

Of course they'll only have ticket machines - on the underground - they've announced that is their policy, and I'd suggest they aren't open to discussion. Whatever the rhetoric the strikes will make absolutely no change to the policy.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Larger stations will probably continue to have ticket offices, possibly merged with shops like Merseyrail, smaller places will just have ticket machines

 

[Clip]

Id say theres abotu 20 years left for them(LO and large terminal stations excepeted)

 

[DarloRich]

To be accurate, there haven't been any strikes yet, they've voted to hold them next month and published dates.

Of course they'll only have ticket machines - on the underground - they've announced that is their policy, and I'd suggest they aren't open to discussion. Whatever the rhetoric the strikes will make absolutely no change to the policy.

So the staff affected should just roll over and accept it?

 

[Zygotic_mychi]

Id say theres abotu 20 years left for them(LO and large terminal stations excepeted)

Really?

I agree with you that large terminals will always have ticket offices, but what with the way technology is changing the way that people buy products - smart phones, ticket machines etc - I'll be surprised if the majority of ticket offices aren't gone within less than 10 years.

 

[SS4]

So the staff affected should just roll over and accept it?

Of course, management know best up in their ivory towers /s. Gotta keep those bankers in bonuses

 

[Bishopstone]

Really?

I agree with you that large terminals will always have ticket offices, but what with the way technology is changing the way that people buy products - smart phones, ticket machines etc - I'll be surprised if the majority of ticket offices aren't gone within less than 10 years.

I suspect you'll be proved right.

As transactions move to other channels, no business can afford to pay staff to handle less and less work. There is nothing new in this trend, either, as BR were closing booking offices from the 1960s all the way through to their demise.

In most industries, simple transactions are moving to automated platforms and remaining staff need to up-skill to become specialists in the lower volume, but more valuable/complex sales for which human input is still required. The railway is no exception, and I imagine the remaining jobs will be more varied, and hopefully fulfilling, than selling endless day returns to the nearest city.

 

[Clip]

Really?

I agree with you that large terminals will always have ticket offices, but what with the way technology is changing the way that people buy products - smart phones, ticket machines etc - I'll be surprised if the majority of ticket offices aren't gone within less than 10 years.

Oh I agree with you with regards to how people purchase their tickets but I dont think anyone is really up for a fight with the unions surrounding this so its my view that they will slowly close over time with people either moving upwards or onwards to another job and not being replaced which is why I said such a long time frame.

 

[Simon11]

For some TOC's there will be a short time frame especially TOC's up for bidding. For TOC's with a few years left on the franchise, there is little point in the TOC make sweeping changes with little reward.

With Ticket Offices closes, all this will mean is redistribution of the workforce to more frontline positions. TOC's will make this change, so they can get the most of benefits for their investments asap and won't hold back some stations redevelopments because of a few staff. There will be still be staff on hand to assist customers with buying tickets and they will be more out n' about in public view. Far better than behind a small glass window.

Finally, with ScotRail new franchise they don't want to reduce the number of hours that there are retail staff on hand to assist in selling tickets. It seems rather daft that Thurso ticket office is staffed Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm with an annual footfall of 50k. I compare that to my local London tube station which has the ticket office opened for two hours per day Monday-Saturday and has a footfall of 2.5m...

 

[gswindale]

Of course, management know best up in their ivory towers /s. Gotta keep those bankers in bonuses

What do you suggest? We keep somebody employed in a ticket office for 35 hours/week serving 1 customer buying a £5.50 ticket every 2 months along with all the electricity required to keep the place open?

Quite simply that is ridiculous and a waste of money in anyone's eyes.

I believe TFL were planning on shutting the ticket offices with staff moving to other, more useful, duties including improving the staff presence on platforms.

The industry needs to move to keep up with technology and if ticket offices need to close so be it. It doesn't have to mean redundancies though.

 

[Moonshot]

What do you suggest? We keep somebody employed in a ticket office for 35 hours/week serving 1 customer buying a £5.50 ticket every 2 months along with all the electricity required to keep the place open?

Quite simply that is ridiculous and a waste of money in anyone's eyes.

I believe TFL were planning on shutting the ticket offices with staff moving to other, more useful, duties including improving the staff presence on platforms.

The industry needs to move to keep up with technology and if ticket offices need to close so be it. It doesn't have to mean redundancies though.

Correct ......and in fact since franchising started, TOCs have took on an extra 10000 staff between them. Interestingly, my own local station is actually having a new ticket office built.....

 

[BEF7439]

I work in a ticket office too. It's quite sad, many of my colleagues seem resigned to the fact that our days happily sitting behind our little glass windows are numbered! That is by no means to say that they are happy about it.

I will be interested to see what the demise of ticket offices will mean for the more complex aspects of the job- season refunds and changeovers for example. Will these all have to go through customer services? Or what the non-technically-inclined will do if they wish to book advance tickets or reservations. I'm sure all my queries will be answered in time.

For the most part, I very much enjoy the job but I've already started looking at other options within the industry as I don't want to be left behind when the inevitable finally happens.

 

[fowler9]

I'll be interested to see what happens if everything gets automated and even less people are needed to actually work. No one will have the need or the money to actually catch a train anywhere so we can close down the whole network. It wasn't meant to be like this, automation was meant to make life easier. Instead we have a growing population and a growing dole queue.

 

[Clip]

I'll be interested to see what happens if everything gets automated and even less people are needed to actually work. No one will have the need or the money to actually catch a train anywhere so we can close down the whole network. It wasn't meant to be like this, automation was meant to make life easier. Instead we have a growing population and a growing dole queue.

I think youll find the dole queue is shrinking but hey, lets not let that get in the way.

It will only be ticket offices that will be closing and for a lot of stations there will always be staff on hand to assist passengers with TVMs or assistance on to the trains.

Staffing at stations needs to become more flexible and be able to multi task - I know a lot already do this over the network - there is no point having someone sat in their office for a few hours not doing anythign as all they do is 'Sell tickets'. That is a cost that you the traveller are paying for remember.

There is already a mass movement from the travelling public for ticketing to become more automated - hence the use pf print at home, mobile tickets and e-tickets along with booking online. This was brought about very quickler due to the PASSENGER requiring these methods of purchasing a ticket because they didnt want to stand in a queue. So it was rolled out and is now massivley used by you - the passenger!!

So before you or SS4 start bleating about management blah blah blah, try knowing what you are talking about first please.

 

[fowler9]

I think youll find the dole queue is shrinking but hey, lets not let that get in the way.

It will only be ticket offices that will be closing and for a lot of stations there will always be staff on hand to assist passengers with TVMs or assistance on to the trains.

Staffing at stations needs to become more flexible and be able to multi task - I know a lot already do this over the network - there is no point having someone sat in their office for a few hours not doing anythign as all they do is 'Sell tickets'. That is a cost that you the traveller are paying for remember.

There is already a mass movement from the travelling public for ticketing to become more automated - hence the use pf print at home, mobile tickets and e-tickets along with booking online. This was brought about very quickler due to the PASSENGER requiring these methods of purchasing a ticket because they didnt want to stand in a queue. So it was rolled out and is now massivley used by you - the passenger!!

So before you or SS4 start bleating about management blah blah blah, try knowing what you are talking about first please.

I came off the dole queue yesterday so in that respect it might be shrinking as regards myself and the other 7 people I started working with but let me assure you I am very aware of the what the dole queue is doing and it certainly isn't shrinking in some parts of the country. I am earning less than I was 12 months ago and far less than I was 4 years ago, I got a permanent job, 6 of the people I started with are back in the dole office in 2 months time. Don't believe everything the press and the government spin to you.

 

[Clip]

I came off the dole queue yesterday so in that respect it might be shrinking as regards myself and the other 7 people I started working with but let me assure you I am very aware of the what the dole queue is doing and it certainly isn't shrinking in some parts of the country. I am earning less than I was 12 months ago and far less than I was 4 years ago, I got a permanent job, 6 of the people I started with are back in the dole office in 2 months time. Don't believe everything the press and the government spin to you.

Congratulations it must have been hard for you on the dole so well done for finding a job. You have to believe someone about the figures but both the government and the opposition will say differing things abotu the numbers because it suits their cause and remember the last govt shifted people very well onto other forms of benefit away from JSA to massage the figures. But all this is for another thread.

The fact is is that you complained about ticketing going automated and SS4 claimed it is all about the TOCs greed when the fact is is that its the travelling public who requested all these things to make life easier and quicker for them when travelling by train. And the TOCs have loved it because it does make things easier for them too, less ticket office opening hours and staffing of them saves money for them.Dont complain when this does happen because it has generally been passenger led through feedback and complaints for waiting so long in a ticket office queue.

 

[fowler9]

Congratulations it must have been hard for you on the dole so well done for finding a job. You have to believe someone about the figures but both the government and the opposition will say differing things abotu the numbers because it suits their cause and remember the last govt shifted people very well onto other forms of benefit away from JSA to massage the figures. But all this is for another thread.

The fact is is that you complained about ticketing going automated and SS4 claimed it is all about the TOCs greed when the fact is is that its the travelling public who requested all these things to make life easier and quicker for them when travelling by train. And the TOCs have loved it because it does make things easier for them too, less ticket office opening hours and staffing of them saves money for them.Dont complain when this does happen because it has generally been passenger led through feedback and complaints for waiting so long in a ticket office queue.

Many thanks mate, it wasn't fun. You are of course correct saying that various bodies will bend the stats to make them suit their various causes. You are also of course correct in saying that a lot of changes such as ticket office closures will come down to customer responses from surveys. The people get what the people want.

I remember a Bill Bryson column a while back about the phrase "For your convenience". It didn't really focus on train travel but did mention for example that airline passengers where asked what was most important to them. People said cheap air fare, as such free meals were cut out with the message given being that "For your convenience meals are no longer free" and everyone complained, ha ha. He gave a few other examples but the transport one stuck in my head.

 

[jon0844]

People always want lower prices but expect the same level of service, or even better service with the argument that companies need to work harder for their business.

I do think that in London at least, ex ticket staff will be deployed elsewhere and so there won't be loads of job losses. Technology has, right or wrong, made most of their current duties obsolete.

But for the rest of the railway? Who knows. While the railway industry might now employ many more people than before, will the people be moved out to give assistance in the platforms or simply phased out completely?

I can't see things changing for a while though on the national railway, as we need to introduce new ticketing systems and charges. Smartcards are one thing, but to truly do away with ticket offices I expect we'll see a shakeup of fares and a simplification that will have winners and losers along the way.

 

[HectorFromBern]

There will continue to be transactions which fall out of the standard mould that machines can cope with - like adding railcards to one's Oyster Card, or negotiating refunds. There should be some mechanism to deal with these, but station booking offices may not be the best solution.

 

[jon0844]

I'd expect that the software on the LU machines will allow staff outside the now closed ticket office to do all of the things s/he did before. So that's adding railcards to Oyster or sorting out refunds. By simply logging in, or tapping a special card, the ticket machine will go into a more advanced mode for staff to use.

Either that, or staff will even be able to do certain things from a tablet equipped with a card reader. This could also allow the addition of a railcard to an Oyster and many other things, from anywhere within the station.

Given the level of Wi-Fi coverage at so many stations, I am sure customers will also hope to be able to get more information themselves. I can tap in at a station and check my balance within seconds on the platform, deep underground. I can also get real time information, so don't need to bother staff. It's great, and as time goes on more people will be doing the same.