Tisbury MP says reducing ticket office staff availability ‘not helpful’
Andrew Murrison says the elderly and vulnerable feel more comfortable buying from kiosks
Tisbury MP Andrew Murrison has waded into the debate over Great Western Railway’s proposals to close ticket offices at South West train stations, saying reducing staff availability would be unhelpful.
The public consultation period for the plans closes this Wednesday (26th July).
Mr Murrison says that if the proposed changes make staff more accessible by bringing them out from behind a glass screen, that may have some merit.
The proposals have come about as ticket office transactions have dropped below 15%.
In a statement, Mr Murrison noted that a small number of tickets were now sold from kiosks but said that the elderly and the vulnerable need to be considered.
“Elderly and vulnerable customers often feel more comfortable making their purchases in this way,” Mr Murrison said.
He added: “Services should in my view be designed to make life easier for them and operators need to satisfy themselves and the public that this would be the case in carrying forward any changes.”
GWR’s plans include creating a new multi-skilled role to help customers with a wide range of issues, with staff not being confined to a single area of a station.
However, Mr Murrison said: “It would be no good if people arriving to catch a train had to spend time seeking out a staff member in order to buy a ticket.”