Why we must keep station booking offices

I agree with Professor Paul Salveson that ‘booking offices’, which are now mainly known as ‘ticket offices’, should be retained (Analysis, RAIL 964).

At the very least, they adhere to the requirements of The Equality Act 2010. Many people are sight impaired and cannot use the ticket machines. They need assistance from staff, and to remove this help denies their right to equal access.

Many people are excluded from internet usage and the banking system, because of age and/or poverty. Buying online is not an option. In addition, the sheer number of routes, baffling fare anomalies and ticket types are best explained by speaking to someone in the know. However, why does a ticket office have to earn its keep by diversifying?

Most stations have at least one kiosk anyway, and many provide other services such as cafes.

The ‘bean counters’ who are paid huge salaries should understand that a public service such as the railway remains first and foremost just that, irrespective of who owns the franchise. Quality service, not profits, should drive its operations if it is to regain and retain customers.

Have we learned nothing from Beeching’s folly, where obdurate insistence that railways should pay resulted in whole communities isolated and impoverished, lanes clogged with traffic, and confidence in the remaining services lost?

So, keep the friendly face and helpfulness of frontline staff, irrespective of station size. It is a small cost which will continue to reap long-term benefits. Human interaction in the digital age is beyond price.

Christina Burton, Eastbourne