SWR's ticket office proposals, July 2023

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) have today, 5th July 2023, published their proposals for ticket offices and station staffing across their network. As they transition to ticket office closures they are proposing changes to the hours stations will be staffed. The busiest stations in Category 1 will see retail trained staff available at all times that trains are running. Most other stations in Category 1 and most Category 2 stations will see an increase in the hours that they are staffed. Most stations in Category 3 will see a reduction in staffed hours. As an example, my local station, Templecombe, sees it's staffed hours reduced to 6am-10am Tues-Fri, 9am-midday Sat. Closed Sunday and Monday. Currently it is staffed 6am-11am Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat. Closed Sunday.

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/station-change-proposal

South Western Railway is proposing changes to the way we provide customer service and sell tickets at our stations.

This proposal forms part of plans to modernise the railway and bring it more in line with modern consumer expectations.

Over the past decade, we have seen significantly reduced usage of ticket offices as customers move to alternative, more convenient ways of buying tickets. Importantly:

- Seventy-five per cent of SWR passenger journeys are already made using smart media - contactless, Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services), Tap2Go, SWR Touch Smartcards, eTickets

- The vast majority of ticket types are already available via smart media, online or at ticket vending machines
Of the 12% of tickets bought at ticket offices nation-wide last year, an estimated 99% could have been bought using a ticket vending machine or online

- To modernise our retailing offer, we are proposing to transition our station colleagues to new multi-skilled roles with a clear focus on helping our customers. Our proposals will create a single team on each station, working together to help customers with different aspects of their journeys from journey planning to ticket purchasing.

In particular, all station colleagues above our apprentices will be trained to support customers with their retail choices, and by bringing them out of the ticket offices and into the stations, they will provide more visible and personal help to our customers.

Ultimately, by working together at stations as a single team, there will be more colleagues available to help customers with their retail choices.

Customers will still be able to access the same products and services as they do today through South Western Railway’s website, our mobile app, contactless payment, pay as you go, at our customer contact centre, or at the station.

We will continue to meet all our commitments on providing accessibility for passengers, including passengers with reduced mobility and people requiring in‑person assistance.

By introducing modern retailing, we believe we can even better connect people and communities across South West London and the South East of England every day.

SWR proposals are set out more fully, including a list of proposed staffing hours for stations they manage, in a 'Station Change Proposal' document which can be downloaded here:
https://www.southwesternrailway.com/-/media/ab1f3225d00a43a481da0e9ac09c069f.ashx


Looking at these proposals I am happy to see a general increase in staff presence at Category 1 & 2 stations, albeit disappointed at the cuts to staffing hours for the majority of the Category 3 stations. I'm also concerned by the following statement in SWR's proposals:

For ticket types that cannot be purchased at {station name}, the customer would need to buy the ticket online or at one of South Western Railway’s category 1 stations.

Ahead of implementation there will be a way for customers to buy a ticket that allows them to get to a category 1 station to purchase the ticket they require for their journey without being out of pocket. South Western Railway will develop the specifics of what this will look like by working with passenger groups.

So, if I read that correctly, if I want a Rover or Ranger I will have to break my journey at a Category 1 station to seek out a member of staff to purchase the ticket I want. Whilst SWR say I won't be out of pocket financially my journey time may well be impacted. For example, I often go into Devon for a day out from Templecombe. I currently buy a Day Return to Axminster then a Devon Day Ranger. If Templecombe is unstaffed this proposal says I'd need to buy the Ranger at Axminster which is a Category 1 station. That would add an hour to my journey as I'd have to alight, buy the Ranger then board the next train.

[ChrisB]

Totally agree - and there may be things that you want to buy that will cost less than the cost of getting to your nearest category 1 station. A network gold partners card perhaps (£1). How's that going to work? Do I get a refund?

[Marlburian]

A friend of mine recently went to a SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) station between Basingstoke and Waterloo and dutifully bought a ticket, only for several youths to jump over the barriers without bothering, She queried this with the young lady staff member, who shrugged and said that staff were instructed not to remonstrate.

Which in this day and age of violence is completely understandable. My friend (who can speak her mind) asked"what's the point of your being here then?"

[stuving]

This report from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) says less than its headline suggests, I think.

South Western Railway rethinks ticket office plan after outcry
By Charlotte Andrews & Tristan Pascoe            BBC News

A train company that planned to close ticket offices is rethinking the proposal after feedback from visually-impaired passengers.

South Western Railway (SWR^» (South Western Railway - about)) said it was working to ensure staff would be on-hand to help in stations.

Under the original plans, hundreds of staffed kiosks across England were set to be closed over the next three years, in favour of self-service machines.

Affected rail users say they still have concerns over the revised proposals.

SWR spokesman Mark Lever said the revised plan would see staff brought out from behind the kiosk windows, to be made available across the station.

He added the company also planned to have an employee on every SWR train.

"What we do understand is we need people in our stations to help our customers make that transition," he said.

I though the plan as announced was supposed to "see staff brought out from behind the kiosk windows, to be made available across the station". But we'll have to wait and see what they actually come up with, I guess. Of course it might just be a way of looking as if they are taking note of the adverse public reaction.

Recently, going into Wokingham station most often around midday, I have seen few takers for TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) or counter; the ticket seller was often clearly just filling in time. On Saturday, before 10, there was a queue of three of the window and two TVMs being used by pairs of people in earnest discussion. While I used the third TVM, the pair next to me were evidently struggling to get the thing to offer them something specific. One suggested to the other asking for help, and got a staff member to come. I think (from what I happened to hear) they wanted to travel to Paddington, common enough, but early on Monday morning. And he showed them. So you can see how this might work, up to a point.