Would closure of ticket offices put people off public transport?

Anyone who has heard or seen the never-ending stream of ads promoting train travel in the wake of the pandemic can tell that a major effort is having to be made to coax people back onto public transport.

The past couple of years have changed the way we live, the way we work, and the way many of us judge the risk factors involved with attending and traveling to events.

With many offices closed and more people than ever before working from home - like our own news teams - the daily commute just isn’t a part of our lives any more.

Of course, not everyone has that option, and the number of commuters filling the carriages has increased again in the past year. And the rest of us don’t really know if those distant work meetings that used to involve an early train will return in the future.

Many of us still love a train journey for leisure, a trip up to London to catch a show, or for a weekend away. And with petrol prices as they are, a deal on a train ticket is suddenly a more viable option.

For many people driving simply isn’t an option, and these services are a lifeline so that work and healthy levels of social interaction are possible.

But how can the train companies cope with fluctuating demands? It can’t be an easy task to ensure there are enough services to make the journeys feasible for passengers, but to avoid too many empty carriages rumbling around.

The suggestion that ticket offices could close as the rail companies adjust to changing travel patterns seems like the wrong answer, if it means that no station staff are on hand for those many instances when they are needed.

Ticket machines don’t always work, can confuse the most tech savvy of us at times, and don’t always make it clear what the most cost-effective route or option is. They don’t always accept cash or give change.

And many of us will also know the value of simple human interaction at a ticket office - just the option of having someone there to speak with, to double check you have the right tickets to the right place, and are heading to the right platform at the right time. Or to check about changes, or delays, or bus replacement services. Or even just to share the moment with - “I’m going on a trip to visit my sister, who I haven’t seen in the last three years because of the pandemic, I’m so excited!”

And of course having a real person to turn to if you are worried, or lost, or stuck, or have missed a connection and aren’t sure if your ticket is valid on the next service.

Not to mention people with disabilities or mobility problems who need the confidence of knowing that someone will be there to give them the assistance they require.

If there is any doubt in people’s minds that help can be found when it’s needed, then coaxing people back onto the trains will be an even harder task than it is already.