On Wed, 5 Feb 2014 13:36:13 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 06:30:28
on Wed, 5 Feb 2014, remarked:
I am bemused by this. Does anyone have the ticket office usage figures over
the last decade? I can't believe they haven't fallen pretty sharply.

Have you really failed to notice the queues at the 'original' TfL ticket
office at Kings Cross (and much the same at the Western ticket hall
which is in St Pancras). Every time I've been to Euston (most recently a
couple of months ago) the queue for the TfL ticket office was huge.

Don't forget that for a lot of people such as a number of the posters on
here, if they don't ever need to use something, to them that means *nobody*
ever needs to use it and hence it should be dispensed with.

--
Spud

On Wed, 05 Feb 2014 06:30:28 -0600
wrote:
I am bemused by this. Does anyone have the ticket office usage figures over
the last decade? I can't believe they haven't fallen pretty sharply. And
station staffing is going to be maintained as demonstrated on Overground,
just not in booking offices, isn't it?

Station staffing can't be maintained if they're letting 400 staff go via
voluntary redundancy. Thats almost 2 staff per station.

Anyway , this staff-on-the-platform nonsense is just spin. They installed
help points years ago on all stations precisely so staff DIDN'T have to mill
around on the platform all day doing nothing. So either its a complete
volte-face with that policy or its just a lot of BS designed to placate
everyone. I suspect the latter. Their ultimate goal is quite obviously to
have unmanned stations as per the DLR. Which is fine by me - free travel.
I can't remember the last time I bothered to pay with my PAYG on the DLR.

--
Spud

On Wed, 5 Feb 2014 13:36:13 +0000, Roland Perry
wrote:
Have you really failed to notice the queues at the 'original' TfL
ticket
office at Kings Cross (and much the same at the Western ticket hall
which is in St Pancras). Every time I've been to Euston (most
recently a
couple of months ago) the queue for the TfL ticket office was huge.

Gateway stations are to retain a presence. But even so, most are
probably buying tickets available from machines, if MKC is anything
to go by. Give a man a fish...

Neil

--
Neil Williams. Use neil before the at to reply.

"Roland Perry" wrote in message ...

In message , at 06:30:28
on Wed, 5 Feb 2014, remarked:
I am bemused by this. Does anyone have the ticket office usage figures over
the last decade? I can't believe they haven't fallen pretty sharply.

Have you really failed to notice the queues at the 'original' TfL ticket
office at Kings Cross (and much the same at the Western ticket hall
which is in St Pancras). Every time I've been to Euston (most recently a
couple of months ago) the queue for the TfL ticket office was huge.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As it is a Vic every time I arrive home off my Thursday/Friday evening
flight - at 10pm!

Who the flip queues up to buy a ticket at 10pm?

tim




--
Roland Perry

In article
,
(Recliner) wrote:

wrote:
In article
,
(Recliner) wrote:

Mizter T wrote:
On 04/02/2014 15:22, Roland Perry wrote:

The Tube Strike - Last weapon for the average working guy?



http://politicasanctuarium.weebly.co...trike-last-wea
pon-for-the-average-working-guy.html

I wouldn't have described Mr Robert Crow as an average working guy.

Nor are tube train drivers, who earn more than twice the average
salary (52k vs 26k).

Though other LU workers might fit the bill better (ticket office and
station staff) - one could argue the upcoming strike is more about
them and their future.

Are they objecting mainly to the reduction of jobs, or the change in
their nature (ie, out among the pax, not hiding in the office)? I see
that TfL already has 450 applications for voluntary redundancies (of
the target 750), so there should indeed be no need for compulsory
redundancies.

I am bemused by this. Does anyone have the ticket office usage
figures over the last decade? I can't believe they haven't fallen
pretty sharply. And station staffing is going to be maintained as
demonstrated on Overground, just not in booking offices, isn't it?

I think it's something like 3% of passengers now using the ticket offices,
so most really are pretty much redundant (and closed most of the day
anyway, outside the centre). But the unions also don't like the fact that
many of the quieter stations will become single-manned, with a mobile
supervisor covering half a dozen stations.

How does Overground operate? I can think of some of their stations where
that might be an issue already.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
06:30:28 on Wed, 5 Feb 2014, remarked:
I am bemused by this. Does anyone have the ticket office usage figures
over the last decade? I can't believe they haven't fallen pretty sharply.

Have you really failed to notice the queues at the 'original' TfL
ticket office at Kings Cross (and much the same at the Western ticket
hall which is in St Pancras). Every time I've been to Euston (most
recently a couple of months ago) the queue for the TfL ticket office
was huge.

I know all about those queues and the queues for every ticket machine at
Kings Cross St Pancras too. But I rather assumes it would be one of the few
to remain anyway.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article ,
(Paul Corfield) wrote:

On Wed, 05 Feb 2014 06:30:28 -0600,
wrote:

I am bemused by this. Does anyone have the ticket office usage figures
over the last decade? I can't believe they haven't fallen pretty sharply.
And station staffing is going to be maintained as demonstrated on
Overground, just not in booking offices, isn't it?

I don't have access to any detailed numbers but TfL have said the
proportion, taken across the system as a whole, is very low. The
problem, though, is that they have to achieve a step change in their
cost base to deal with the massive cut to revenue grant from the
government. This is compounded by the lower than expected fare
increase this year which obviously will raise less money than planned.
Therefore (IMO) this is a "must win" dispute for TfL or else they are
in dire trouble in a couple of years time. The removal of cash fare
payment on buses is symptomatic of the same funding cuts and need to
cut costs but not services.

There are obviously ticket offices in some places which are
tremendously busy all the time and others which have distinct peaks in
demand. There is a genuine debate to be had as to whether a "one size
fits all" solution is appropriate. The London Assembly Transport
Committee were not in a happy mood this morning about the strike and
the lack of negotiation between the parties. They were also miffed
about there having been no detailed briefing provided to them nor any
consultation. They were demanding that each station has to be
individually reviewed with a full consultation with politicians and
passengers. It'll be interesting to see how or if TfL respond to that
one.

I think there is no doubt that many people don't need to use ticket
offices in the way they used to do. I only use one once a year to buy
an annual ticket but I like to deal with a person who can ensure the
proper discount codes are set and give me a Gold Record Card on the
spot. I can't see how that will be done at a passenger operated
machine.

However it is the awkward, confusing problems like failed Oyster
cards, refunds, registering a card, setting a Railcard discount code,
ticket exchanges that need a human face and trained staff. If you
need a refund of £40 from a surrendered season ticket how is this done
at a passenger ticket machine even if a member of staff has signed on?
Do you get 40 £1 coins rather than 2 £20 notes? I think we all
deserve to understand how all these things will be dealt with in the
future before any one can "sign up" to the new vision of the future
for the Tube.

Totally agree with that. I registered my railcard at Westminster tube last
week and asked how it would be done in future. "Search me" was the reply.
It's about time there were replies to questions like yours before this goes
any further.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

wrote:
In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
06:30:28 on Wed, 5 Feb 2014, remarked:
I am bemused by this. Does anyone have the ticket office usage figures
over the last decade? I can't believe they haven't fallen pretty sharply.

Have you really failed to notice the queues at the 'original' TfL
ticket office at Kings Cross (and much the same at the Western ticket
hall which is in St Pancras). Every time I've been to Euston (most
recently a couple of months ago) the queue for the TfL ticket office
was huge.

I know all about those queues and the queues for every ticket machine at
Kings Cross St Pancras too. But I rather assumes it would be one of the few
to remain anyway.

Yes, as a travel advice office, not a ticket office.

On 05/02/2014 17:59, Neil Williams wrote:

On Wed, 5 Feb 2014 13:36:13 +0000, Roland Perry wrote:
Have you really failed to notice the queues at the 'original' TfL
ticket office at Kings Cross (and much the same at the Western
ticket hall which is in St Pancras). Every time I've been to
Euston (most recently a couple of months ago) the queue for
the TfL ticket office was huge.

Gateway stations are to retain a presence. But even so, most are
probably buying tickets available from machines, if MKC is anything to
go by. Give a man a fish...

I don't think MKC is anything to go by.

Lots of tourists (domestic and overseas) arriving at central London
stations, not knowing quite what they want, but knowing they don't just
want a single ticket. Other punters wanting to use a ticket office for
all the various reasons Paul C suggests elsewhere on this thread. Ticket
machines, however well designed their UI, can still be bamboozling, and
furthermore don't offer the extra bits of advice that a knowledgeable
human does.

Those using ticket machines at MKC are likely to be au fait with the
system already (i.e. regular enough rail travellers), and are probably
wanting something fairly straightforward (Day Return to London,
outboundary Travelcard, or other day or period return ticket).

Plus, I'm going to throw it out there and suggest that the clientèle of
MKC station are not representative of the wider population at large.
(That's not meant as a derogatory comment BTW, but don't get too smug
about it either!)

On 05/02/2014 16:01, Recliner wrote:

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 14:02:13 on
Wed, 5 Feb 2014, Paul Corfield remarked:

this is a "must win" dispute for TfL or else they are
in dire trouble in a couple of years time.

Some figures from the news today: the strike has cost £250m and the
projected savings are £50m a year.

I assume that projected cost is to the customers and London business in
general, not TfL, which probably profits from the strike (saved wages, much
higher bus revenues, no refund on Travel cards or season tickets).


I demur - the lost revenue from all those Tube journeys that never were
will be very substantial. The extra planning, extra buses, and extra
staffing (if only those office and managerial staff who would normally
be doing something else, something that mostly presumably still needs to
be done) doesn't come for free.