Impact on passenger safety, service and accessibility
Research shows time and time again that passengers like and value ticket offices and ticket office staff.
In the 2022 public consultation on ScotRail's proposals, 99% of respondents objected to the plans. Issues raised in the consultation included the impact on accessibility, access to NHS hospitals, station facilities, anti-social behaviour.
The overwhelming opposition to the UK Government's plans to close around 1000 ticket offices last year also reinforced the value that passengers place on ticket offices.
The Scottish Government's own research into women and girls safety found that staffed ticket offices make women and girls feel safer when travelling.
Despite the overwhelming evidence about the importance of ticket offices for passengers, the Scottish Government and ScotRail are trying to press ahead with these plans that would see reductions in the times that 70% of ScotRail's ticket offices are open.
Impact on station staffing
Ticket office staffing is the only regulated station staffing, meaning ticket offices are the only way for passengers to guarantee when staff will be at a station.
At some of the 101 stations, ScotRail has said that it will keep staffing hours the same, however, there's nothing to hold them to that, and the company could reduce station staffing in the future with no public consultation. We believe that this will lead to de-staffing by stealth.
Staffed ticket offices are the only way for passengers to be confident about when staff will be present at the station.
Outdated public consultation process
Crucially, the 2022 public consultation was undertaken by a process that is now obsolete. At the time, the passenger watchdog Transport Focus could only object to train operator proposals based on a very narrow criteria relating to ticket sales data. However, the process now requires Transport Focus to take a range of factors into account including the impact on accessibility, access to facilities at the station, safety and security and future monitoring of change.
The Cabinet Secretary, Fiona Hyslop MSP has admitted she is aware the guidance on ticket offices has changed, yet she has still given ScotRail the go-ahead to proceed without needing to hold a new public consultation under the current process. RMT believes that basing these plans on a process that is now obsolete means these proposals lack any legitimacy.
