Ticket office hours to be reduced as result of card take-up
London Underground say ticket office hours at stations in the borough will be reduced following increased take-up of Oyster cards by tube users.
With more than three million Londoners now paying for their journeys by Oyster, queues at tube stations have reduced.
The ticket office changes will, LU say, allow them to offer a shorting working week for employees. They also promise to provide more staff on station platforms.
The review of staffing arrangements at tube stations staff comes as Wandsworth steps up its campaign for Oyster pre-pay to be extended to local rail services.
Wandsworth cabinet member for regeneration and transport Guy Senior said “The first priority for LU must be to improve safety for tube passengers at all times of the day. Any staff released from ticket office duties must be switched to platforms and other public areas.
“The ticket machines must be better maintained than they are now and staff should be available to assist passengers using them. It is important that staff are retained at the same station and are used to provide a higher profile presence. The irony of course is that despite the reported success of Oyster in reducing queues at tube stations, overground rail travellers are still unable to use pre-pay for their services.
“The council wants pre-pay to be a requirement of rail franchises. It would have an immediate impact in reducing queues at rail stations in the borough.”
The new opening hours for tube stations are already in operation:
East Putney: 6.15am-8.30pm (Mon-Fri); 8am-9pm (Sat); 8.30am-10pm (Sun).
Southfields: 6am-8.45pm (Mon-Fri); 7am-9pm (Sat); 8am-6.30pm (Sun).
February 13, 2006
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