You wouldn't be using the fallacy of using corona era data to justify these closures would you?
until the staff are withdrawn
The figures released under FoI show that even the busiest ticket offices have only recovered to around 40% of pre-Covid sales volumes, even though passenger volumes have recovered much more strongly than that (to around 80-90% depending on operator/day of the week). That's clearly not a substainable position.
They could probably just use contractors to maintain their TVMs instead. I believe most of the main TVMs manufacturers (Scheidt & Bachmann and Parkeon and Worldline) offer this service. This is already used in many cases. For example the PERTIS (Permit To Travel) machines have been fully maintained and managed by Metric Group (the manufacturer) for decades and railway staff have practically zero involvement in these machines. So i reckon they will get rid of all staff and their TVMs will be maintained entirely by outsourced contractors.
like tfl just not filling vacancies?
To be honest I've never ever had my tickets checked on a Thameslink train and I use them regularly, but maybe its more of a MML thing than an East Coast Main Line thing.
But i bet i can train a technician and employee them on worse terms and conditions than ticket office staff
I’m not arguing, nor explaining very well.
. This is already common on my patch in most medium sized stations. Smaller stations often combine the role of cleaner, dispatcher and ticket office in to one job. I suspect the smaller ones that close the ticket office will also close the toilets and waiting rooms as then they can be unstaffed. As for assisting passengers, at our unstaffed stations it depends if there is a gaurd. On trains that are DOO there's no assistance, and with the age of the stations usually a gap and step. No ones going to pay to change that in a time of cutbacks.
Replacing ticket windows with online/machine sales is one thing, as is replacing station toilets with an acceptable standard of on-train toilets. But there is no replacement for the humble waiting room. Even if unheated (which from experience already happens at some staffed stations), their presence makes a big difference IMO. People will complain once they’re gone, but of course it’ll probably be too late by then.
Which is fine, as long as it is a requirement that serving the public comes before other duties like cleaning. Not that long ago I was left standing outside a closed ticket office for its first 20 minutes of opening “because I’ve got to clean the platforms by 7am” (and no, this wasn’t a case of short-staffing - but, apparently, standard practice)
Reminds me of Birmingham International when Virgin remodelled the ticket office/waiting area many years ago.
I agree. What is key is staff with a mindset of flexibility, based around what will best meet passengers' needs, not 'what's the processes I must do before I can think about passengers?'.
It’s striking the right balance between the two.
Presumably in the sort of cases being talked about here, it's just poor process to blame - the solo staff member arrives at say 6am or thereabouts, opens the toilets etc and does their 'housekeeping' first, before the morning rush. Which makes sense, but of course the ticket office ought not to be open for the first half hour or so. What's the betting that in most cases the TOC wants it advertised as open from the moment the staff member turns up? Or, more pertinently, the office has it's mandated opening time and managent don't want to pay an extra half hour's wage beforehand, so the 'housekeeping' has to happen during opening hours?! It isn't the staff member being deliberately obtuse!
I can't speak for other stations, but the DfT/some TOCs set daft time requirements for tasks to be complete by, which is all fine on paper, but in reality results in this kind of poor service.
Definitely, have a list of tasks to complete is fine, but the staff member needs to be trusted to do them when is appropriate on the day, especially since everyday is different. A good focus on why we are there primarily. I'm lucky that my TOC does seem to trust us to get on with things for the most part, but the DfT do spot check stations for compliance, which is when you end up with the wrong priorities sometimes IMO.
