27 September 2016
RMT Press Office:
RMT urges public to engage in London Travel Watch survey on ticket office closures.
TUBE UNION RMT today urged the public to respond to the London Travel Watch review of ticket office closures with a message that this is an opportunity to press for a reversal of the cuts and closures programme.
Ignoring evidence from passengers, transport consultants, RMT and other unions, Transport for London pressed ahead with closing nearly all London Underground ticket offices. It has now been forced to admit under the new Mayor that the process was effectively bodged from start to finish in the dash to save money.
The closure of ticket offices was not evidence based – it occurred without TfL consulting passengers or adequately trialing the impact first. However, following renewed lobbying from RMT and others, a review of the closure programme is now taking place.
London Travel Watch is the passenger body which has been commissioned to carry out a survey of passengers. The union will be contributing to this review and is calling and staff and the travelling public to play their part to the full at the following link:
Review of London Underground ticket office closures
Once the review is complete, we will be compiling a report of our findings which will be sent to the Mayor's office in November 2016. From this, the Mayor's office will make recommendations of changes to be made to the TfL Board.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said:
“The closure of ticket offices on the Underground, and on the national rail network, remains an important battleground for RMT members, the trade union movement and the passengers who rely on these essential services. This London Travel Watch review gives us an opportunity to press for the reversal of this ill-conceived, cash-led programme which has also seen 800 jobs axed and access to transport services sacrificed without any thought for the consequences.
“The union is committed to a major fight to force back the cuts bulldozer at TFL which has already turned London Underground into far more dangerous place for staff and passengers alike as the incident at Canning Town proved conclusively. The union is looking at all possible options as we take that campaign forwards.”
Ends
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