Ticket office protesters descend on Whitehall in desperate plea to scrap cull

29 August 2023 , 16:51

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Ticket office protesters descend on Whitehall in desperate plea to scrap cull

Furious rail workers, passengers and unions took the fight over ticket office closures to the Government.

Demonstrators descended on the Department of Transport in a desperate bid to derail the planned cull of 974 offices at stations across England. Rail companies themselves have admitted the move puts users at greater risk of being swindled, with elderly, disabled and vulnerable passengers set to be hardest hit.

Standing on the steps of the Government department, pensioner Jenny Kidman told protesters: "The fact they'd even contemplate getting rid of ticket offices tells us a lot about how our system works." The 72-year-old, who has difficulty getting around, told the rally that ticket office staff are an "immeasurable" help for the elderly and disabled, stating: "People like me who aren't good on computers, who don't have a smartphone, who have trouble getting around, we have to be ready to fight."

Demonstrators demanded the planned ticket office cull is scrapped (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)

And she was greeted with loud cheers when she said: "What we want is a service, a service provided by people who care about that service, as opposed to caring about their shareholders." Paula Peters, of campaign group Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) warned that the impact of closing ticket offices would be devastating for millions like her.

She told The Mirror: "For disabled people, it's going to be another barrier for us to be fully integrated in society. We'll be further marginalised and excluded and it feels like this is what the Government wants." Ms Peters warned that the ticket office cull could breach international human rights law, as it would impact people's right to live independently. "I think they've already made the decision and they're going through the motions," she said.

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Johnbosco Nwogbo said he believes he's saved over £1,000 over the years on rail fares after station staff helped him find cheaper tickets he otherwise wouldn't have known about. Mr Nwogbo, lead campaigner at activist group We Own It, said: "At the moment it appears as if the Government is pushing off its responsibilities on the railway companies. The Government should stop passing the buck and take responsibility."

Johnbosco Nwogbo estimates he's saved around £1,000 over the years thanks to ticket office staff (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)

And he added: "It's possible I've saved up to £1,000 by speaking to ticket office staff, we have an extremely complex ticketing system."

Time is running out for people to have their say on the Government-backed plans, with a consultation set to end on Friday. Nearly half a million have so far responded, with pressure on rail firms to drop the controversial plans.

Mick Whelan, General Secretary of trade union ASLEF, told The Mirror: "I can only believe that the intention of the Government is to drive people off the railways." He warned that some drivers resist doing certain routes in the evenings and late at night because they don't feel safe, and said this will only get worse if station offices aren't staffed.

"We don't live in a polite society and we don't live in a safe world," he stated. Addressing demonstrators he said: "Passengers have been priced off our railways, passengers have been frightened off our railways... Our railways are not safe in the 21st century."

Ministers have been warned the cull will have a devastating impact on disabled and elderly patients (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)

Members of the Aslef and TSSA unions joined Bring Back British Rail and We Own It activists to hand in a letter demanding a U-turn. Unions estimate that the proposed cull puts 2,300 jobs at risk.

The letter stated: "At a time when the government should be working to make rail an attractive public transport option for the public, we should be seeing plans to open new ticket offices in stations without them, rather than plans to close the ticket offices that we do have. With England’s complicated and fragmented ticketing system, ticket offices currently provide all kinds of rail users, not just those that lack digital skills or a smartphone, with support to purchase the right tickets for their journey."

They warned that disabled people will be put at a "substantial disadvantage". The letter added: "In order to keep the cost of running our rail stations under control, the real solution is to cut the profit-greedy private rail operators out of the system and run our trains for people, not profit."

Simon Weller, assistant general secretary of ASLEF and Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF at the protest (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)

Members of the RMT union will also hold a mass protest on Thursday against the ticket office cull, marching from the Department for Transport to Downing Street.

Rail users have until 23.59 on September 1 to have their say on the planned ticket office closures. Passenger watchdogs, Transport Focus and London TravelWatch, will go through the responses from the public and analyse the proposals.

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There are 13 different consultations running simultaneously so the watchdogs will report whether they support or object to the plans of each train company. If they object, the train company can refer its proposal to the Transport Secretary for a final decision.

The plans also face potential legal challenges from disability campaigners and metro mayors, including Andy Burnham and Tracy Brabin.

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Dave Burke