Rail union steps up campaign to keep ticket offices open
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A rail union is stepping up a campaign to keep ticket offices open after claiming there have been months of technology failures and customer complaints.
The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) said rail operator c2c has been “plagued” with issues in recent months, as ticket machines, Smartcards and online purchases have broken down.
The union said there have been huge queues, with passengers taking to social media to voice their frustrations.
We suggest c2c listens to its customers and joins our call to the Government to urgently reconsider this terrible proposal before commuters decide to vote with their feet
Ticket offices across the country face closure under controversial plans unions say will lead to job losses and difficulties for passengers such as the elderly and disabled in paying for travel.
TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said: “After months and months of technology breakdowns, angry customers and chaotic queues, I think the time has come to say enough is enough.
“c2c has had a glimpse into what the future holds if it relies on faulty technology and removes the humans who step in to save the day when the machines ultimately fail. It would be foolish and disastrous to ignore all the signs that are pointing to keeping ticket offices open.
“We suggest c2c listens to its customers and joins our call to the Government to urgently reconsider this terrible proposal before commuters decide to vote with their feet.”
A c2c spokesperson said: “A capacity test was carried out several months ago at Benfleet station to monitor demand during peak periods using our ticket machines as the primary sales channel.
“We continue to work closely with our suppliers to improve the availability of our ticket machines and we also plan to install more of our ticket machines at key stations along our route.
“The nationwide ticket office consultation proposals, which include moving staff out of ticket offices and on station platforms, concourses, and ticket halls to adopt new ‘customer help’ roles, are already in place in many parts of the UK rail network and offer more face-to-face support to customers. Customers will soon also benefit from greater choice and flexibility when contactless pay-as-you-go ticketing rolls out across our route.”
