RMT calls for ticket office cuts in Scotland to be ruled out

6 November 2023

RMT Press Office:

RAIL UNION RMT is demanding that the Scottish government rule out ticket office cuts by ScotRail following the decision to scrap all closure plans in England.

Holyrood has been sitting on any decision since early 2022, following a public consultation over plans to cut ticket office hours at nearly all of ScotRail’s ticket offices, meaning a cumulative reduction in ticket office hours of one third.

However, the latest comments from the Scottish Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop MSP suggest that the cuts are still under consideration.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that proposals to cuts to ticket office hours would worsen passenger safety, security and accessibility

“The proposals were universally opposed by passengers in the public consultation, and the massive scale of the response to the recent ticket office closure plans elsewhere on the railway reinforce how much passengers value ticket offices and ticket office staff.

“The Scottish government’s own research into women and girl’s safety on public transport has found that staffed ticket offices make them feel safer.

“We have therefore written to the Minister to demand an urgent meeting and for the Scottish Government to urgently confirm once and for all that it will not inflict any short-sighted and damaging cuts to ScotRail ticket offices,” he said.