Tube ticket office closures and improving customer experiences
The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, welcomes the findings of London TravelWatch’s independent review into Tube ticket office closures.
The review looked at what could be done to improve things for London commuters and visitors. A number of issues were identified, for example:
- staff should be made more accessible to passengers
- staff should be more visible
- ticket machine functionality should be updated following the closure of ticket offices
The report doesn’t call for the reopening of ticket offices. But it does conclude that ticket offices were closed before a proper alternative customer experience was in place.
To find out more, download the review in full.
What next?
In response to the report, the Mayor has asked TfL to immediately draw up a full action plan to address the problems identified.
The action plan will be presented at the next TfL board meeting on 15 December. Travelwatch will also be asked for their views on the action plan.
The Mayor has asked for this action plan to:
- look at whether staffing levels are appropriate across the underground network
- make staff more visible and available for passengers
- look into a programme of ticket machine upgrades to ensure that passengers are able to buy the right ticket and get refunds when they need them
- ensure that passengers are able to find help and assistance when it is needed.
The Mayor commented:
I have now asked TfL urgently to present a full action plan responding to all the concerns outlined in the Travel Watch report. Where the necessary alternative provision was not provided after ticket offices were closed, we now need action straight away. Millions of commuters use our stations every day, and we must do everything we can to ensure every passenger feels safe and can access the assistance they need.
More information
The review was commissioned by the Mayor to deliver on his manifesto pledge to examine the impact of ticket office closures under Boris Johnson. More widely, it looks at what can be done to improve the experience for London commuters and visitors.
In my manifesto I promised to review the impact of ticket office closures under the last Mayor, and today’s report makes it clear that more has to be done to ensure passengers can get the right information and support when they need it.
The action plan will also contain a series of special initiatives:
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TfL will offer to establish a joint working group with the Trade Unions to review the overall deployment of staff across stations. TfL will consider with the unions whether any further action is needed to ensure staff training is comprehensive and delivered in an effective way
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a new trial of staffed information zones where passengers can go to for assistance from a member of staff. This will start with an immediate trial at Westminster station, with further trial locations to be identified in the action plan
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changes to the staff uniform and how staff are deployed to make them more visible, to enable passengers find help quickly and easily
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a review of how visitor centres operate, with changes to signage and information, and a review of opening hours to ensure the widest possible range of people can access their services
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immediate improvements to the Turn Up and Go service to ensure the service is more reliable for those in need of travel assistance
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a programme to upgrade ticket machine functionality that will help people purchase boundary extensions for travelcards. TfL has already begun a trial of boundary extensions and will look to phase these in next summer
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development of technological solutions to make the purchasing of tickets quicker and easier
Furthermore, local action plans will be developed to address station-specific issues raised in the report, beginning with those stations where particular issues have been identified.
All public meetings, including the TfL board meeting on 15 December, are broadcast live on our website.
Visit the Mayoral webcast section to watch the meeting live.
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