From
http://railnews.mobi/news/2014/01/23...en-during.html

TWO strikes on London Underground called in protest at plans to close the
system's ticket offices will be met by the deployment of hundreds of
'Ambassadors', Transport for London said.

The stoppages are due to start at midday on 6 and 11 February and continue
for 48 hours. Related action 'short of a strike', affecting the sale of
tickets and collection of fares, is also planned by the union on other
days.

But Transport for London said it was planning 'to keep London moving and
open for business should strikes threatened by the RMT union’s leadership
go ahead' by deploying more than 1,000 Ambassadors at Underground stations.

It promised that only Ambassadors who are fully trained and licensed will
be employed at stations, but they will be joined by many more volunteers,
who will keep passengers informed on how services are operating and offer
advice on alternatives, including bus, London Overground and river
services, as well as walking and cycling routes.

London Underground's chief operating officer Phil Hufton said: “Under our
plans to modernise the service we offer our customers all our stations will
remain staffed and controlled by our people at all times when services are
operating. In fact, we will have more staff visible and available in ticket
halls and on platforms to help customers buy the right ticket, plan their
journeys and to keep them safe and secure. We’re also committed to
implementing these changes without compulsory redundancies. There’ll be a
job for everyone at LU who wants to work with us and be flexible.

“Given these assurances, we urge the RMT and TSSA union leaderships to end
their strike threats and to work with us to shape the future of the Tube.
However, should a strike go ahead, we’re determined to keep London moving
and open for business and our TfL Ambassadors will play an important role.
All a strike will achieve is lose those who take part four days’ pay.�

The unions involved have yet to comment.

"Recliner" wrote in message
...
From
http://railnews.mobi/news/2014/01/23...en-during.html

TWO strikes on London Underground called in protest at plans to close the
system's ticket offices will be met by the deployment of hundreds of
'Ambassadors', Transport for London said.



I really do think that TfL are being somewhat premature with this plan.

They could get an awful lot of egg on their face if they dispense with
hundreds of ticket office staff only to find that punters don't change their
habits and switch to the "automatic" alternative with queues at the ticket
machines becoming so catastrophic that they have to open them again

Whatever happened to the concept of a *trial*

tim

On Thu, 23 Jan 2014 18:36:30 +0100, "tim......"
wrote:


"Recliner" wrote in message
...
From
http://railnews.mobi/news/2014/01/23...en-during.html

TWO strikes on London Underground called in protest at plans to close the
system's ticket offices will be met by the deployment of hundreds of
'Ambassadors', Transport for London said.



I really do think that TfL are being somewhat premature with this plan.

They could get an awful lot of egg on their face if they dispense with
hundreds of ticket office staff only to find that punters don't change their
habits and switch to the "automatic" alternative with queues at the ticket
machines becoming so catastrophic that they have to open them again

Whatever happened to the concept of a *trial*

We've has a 'trial' for several years now. Outside central London,
most ticket offices are *already* closed for most of the time anyway.
You still don't see queues at the ticket machines.

"Recliner" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 23 Jan 2014 18:36:30 +0100, "tim......"
wrote:


"Recliner" wrote in message
...
From
http://railnews.mobi/news/2014/01/23...en-during.html

TWO strikes on London Underground called in protest at plans to close
the
system's ticket offices will be met by the deployment of hundreds of
'Ambassadors', Transport for London said.



I really do think that TfL are being somewhat premature with this plan.

They could get an awful lot of egg on their face if they dispense with
hundreds of ticket office staff only to find that punters don't change
their
habits and switch to the "automatic" alternative with queues at the ticket
machines becoming so catastrophic that they have to open them again

Whatever happened to the concept of a *trial*

We've has a 'trial' for several years now. Outside central London,
most ticket offices are *already* closed for most of the time anyway.
You still don't see queues at the ticket machines.

what about the ones in the centre which are busy

tim

"tim......" wrote:
"Recliner" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 23 Jan 2014 18:36:30 +0100, "tim......"
wrote:


"Recliner" wrote in message
...
From
http://railnews.mobi/news/2014/01/23...en-during.html

TWO strikes on London Underground called in protest at plans to close the
system's ticket offices will be met by the deployment of hundreds of
'Ambassadors', Transport for London said.



I really do think that TfL are being somewhat premature with this plan.

They could get an awful lot of egg on their face if they dispense with
hundreds of ticket office staff only to find that punters don't change their
habits and switch to the "automatic" alternative with queues at the ticket
machines becoming so catastrophic that they have to open them again

Whatever happened to the concept of a *trial*

We've has a 'trial' for several years now. Outside central London,
most ticket offices are *already* closed for most of the time anyway.
You still don't see queues at the ticket machines.

what about the ones in the centre which are busy

Some of those will still have an open travel info office. I'm not sure how
much the peripatetic staff with iPads will be able to do.

"Recliner" wrote in message
...
"tim......" wrote:
"Recliner" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 23 Jan 2014 18:36:30 +0100, "tim......"
wrote:


"Recliner" wrote in message
...
From
http://railnews.mobi/news/2014/01/23...en-during.html

TWO strikes on London Underground called in protest at plans to close
the
system's ticket offices will be met by the deployment of hundreds of
'Ambassadors', Transport for London said.



I really do think that TfL are being somewhat premature with this plan.

They could get an awful lot of egg on their face if they dispense with
hundreds of ticket office staff only to find that punters don't change
their
habits and switch to the "automatic" alternative with queues at the
ticket
machines becoming so catastrophic that they have to open them again

Whatever happened to the concept of a *trial*

We've has a 'trial' for several years now. Outside central London,
most ticket offices are *already* closed for most of the time anyway.
You still don't see queues at the ticket machines.

what about the ones in the centre which are busy

Some of those will still have an open travel info office.

I think 8 or 9 "gateway" stations will have fully functioning TOs

One of which is Heathrow. Noticing (as I do) the mega queues at KX and
Victoria, even at the most obscure off peak times, they will undoubtedly be
included, but apparently not all of the Mainline termini will

I'm not sure how
much the peripatetic staff with iPads will be able to do.

Not sue what they are supposed to do. I doubt actually issuing tickets is
on the remit

In message , at 15:12:35 on Fri, 24
Jan 2014, tim...... remarked:
Outside central London,
most ticket offices are *already* closed for most of the time anyway.
You still don't see queues at the ticket machines.

what about the ones in the centre which are busy

Some of those will still have an open travel info office.

I think 8 or 9 "gateway" stations will have fully functioning TOs

One of which is Heathrow. Noticing (as I do) the mega queues at KX and
Victoria, even at the most obscure off peak times, they will
undoubtedly be included, but apparently not all of the Mainline termini
will

There's going to be an office at Kings Cross (well, St Pancras actually)
dispensing advice, not sure there will be a ticket office too.

When I was last at Euston I noticed there was an 'advice' centre on the
concourse, which may be a prototype for such things.

I'm not sure how
much the peripatetic staff with iPads will be able to do.

Not sue what they are supposed to do. I doubt actually issuing tickets
is on the remit

Dispensing advice, a bit like the 'Olympic ambassadors' I presume.
--
Roland Perry

On 25/01/2014 07:57, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 15:12:35 on Fri, 24
Jan 2014, tim...... remarked:
[...]
I think 8 or 9 "gateway" stations will have fully functioning TOs

One of which is Heathrow. Noticing (as I do) the mega queues at KX
and Victoria, even at the most obscure off peak times, they will
undoubtedly be included, but apparently not all of the Mainline
termini will

There's going to be an office at Kings Cross (well, St Pancras actually)
dispensing advice, not sure there will be a ticket office too.

There already is.


When I was last at Euston I noticed there was an 'advice' centre on the
concourse, which may be a prototype for such things.

That's always been there (FSVO always).


I'm not sure how
much the peripatetic staff with iPads will be able to do.

Not sue what they are supposed to do. I doubt actually issuing
tickets is on the remit

Dispensing advice, a bit like the 'Olympic ambassadors' I presume.

Mizter T wrote:
On 25/01/2014 07:57, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 15:12:35 on Fri, 24
Jan 2014, tim...... remarked:
[...]
I think 8 or 9 "gateway" stations will have fully functioning TOs

One of which is Heathrow. Noticing (as I do) the mega queues at KX
and Victoria, even at the most obscure off peak times, they will
undoubtedly be included, but apparently not all of the Mainline
termini will

There's going to be an office at Kings Cross (well, St Pancras actually)
dispensing advice, not sure there will be a ticket office too.

There already is.

Yes, but will there be when all the ticket offices are shut?

In message , at 10:21:14 on Sat, 25 Jan
2014, Mizter T remarked:
There's going to be an office at Kings Cross (well, St Pancras actually)
dispensing advice, not sure there will be a ticket office too.

There already is.

At St Pancras, yes. The point being that the advice office will *stay*
open.

When I was last at Euston I noticed there was an 'advice' centre on the
concourse, which may be a prototype for such things.

That's always been there (FSVO always).

I only noticed it last summer, but it could have been there for years (I
don't use Euston very much).
--
Roland Perry