Transport for London unveiled plans to cut 750 station staff and close all but six tube ticket offices in London

The Mayor of London has today (20th November) announced huge changes to the tube service, most notably the closure of all ticket offices on the underground. 

Despite Boris Johnson’s manifesto commitment to keep them open every ticket office will close by 2015 with the loss of up to 750 jobs. The RMT union have described the plans as ’lethal’ and have already warned about the possibility of strike action which could take place before Christmas. TfL say there will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of the plan although staff may need to accept the need for ‘greater flexibility’.

TfL say that many stations will still have ticket halls rather than ticket offices and staff will be encouraged to deal face-to-face with passengers. There will be four different categories of stations including ‘Gateway’ stations such as major arrival points like Kings Cross, ‘Destination’ stations such as Leicester Square and ‘Metro’ and ‘Local’ stations. The distinction between the latter two remains unclear with the Metro station described as ‘dedicated customer service staff with the latest in mobile technology permanently located in ticket halls’ and Local station ‘will have staff stationed in ticket halls providing help to customers who need it’. TfL have committed that all stations will have staff working at them whilst trains are operating.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:
"The mayor must believe he is some sort of magician if he thinks he can slash a thousand jobs and still run safe services when everyone knows that staffing has already been cut to the bone while passenger demand continues to rise."

Londonwide Assembly Member Fiona Twycross said:
“These plans are deeply worrying and could lead to a significant reduction in the service Londoners receive in our great city. The mayor was elected on a clear promise to keep ticket offices open. The last thing we need is a reduction in frontline staff. No station should be unstaffed while trains are running. At a time when fares are going up above inflation this is the very least Londoners should expect.

She conmtinued:
“We need to make sure there are enough staff on duty to keep our stations safe, help passengers and deal with emergencies. We must protect standards of service and passenger safety. We believe there should be a Passenger’s Charter clearly setting out what Londoners can expect from their transport system. Passengers must be able to get help with tickets, refunds, information and access must be ensured for disabled people.”

November 21, 2013