Mastodawn

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Jul 5, 2023

Given the short window that the consultation is open (21 days) I went with the low spoon option of sending Transport for All's text directly.

Update: every single company sent back an auto email saying "Please note that due to the volume of feedback we will unfortunately be unable to reply directly to individual comments." so do go ahead and send TfA's suggested text cos volume of objection matters.

Will also write to my MP.

Thanks for all the boosts everyone 💜

Do you have time this weekend to object to the closure of railway ticket offices?

London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street and many other stations are affected.

This is an attack on the railway, its staff, and its most vulnerable passengers.

They haven't made it easy or accessible to object to these changes, you have to email each individual train operator.

However, there are resources to help:

Transport for All have a guide to objecting by email: https://www.transportforall.org.uk/campaign/ticket-office-closures/take-action/

The RMT have a campaign tool that automatically sends an email: https://www.rmt.org.uk/campaigns/rail/save-ticket-offices/

Thank you to everyone who has taken action already, the volume of objection each operator receives is important.

Take action: oppose ticket office closures » Transport for All

Take action to oppose unjust ticket office closures. Use our template to submit a letter of objection and make your voice heard.

Transport for All

#NotJustTheTicket #SaveOurTicketOffices #Disabled #accessibility #Equality

Additionally! For disabled folks: Transport for All want you to email them with evidence of how inaccessible this consultation is so they can build an evidence base for a legal case.

They say "Photos of tiny posters in stations, screenshots of inaccessible or confusing websites - all is useful!"

Email: [email protected]

See their Tweet here, you can DM them over there too if you're still using Twitter: https://twitter.com/TransportForAll/status/1676891996038868992?s=20

Transport for All on Twitter

“@MrsRieB @RMTunion We're also collecting evidence for any future legal action, and asking folk to send us examples of how inaccessible and poorly promoted the consultation is. Photos of tiny posters in stations, screenshots of inaccessible or confusing websites - all is useful!”

Twitter

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Jul 9, 2023

Strong response against ticket office closures here from Mayor Tracy Brabin and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

This is a stark illustration of the scale of the destruction intended by the DfT: "only 3 of the 69 stations in West Yorkshire would retain ticket offices".

https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/all-news-and-blogs/mayor-of-west-yorkshire-calls-for-halt-to-fundamentally-flawed-ticket-office-consultation/

Mayor of West Yorkshire calls for halt to “fundamentally flawed” ticket office consultation

Mayor writes to Transport Secretary over plans to close vast majority of rail station ticket offices.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Jul 15, 2023

There are 11 days left to respond to the train operating companies' consultations on closing ticket offices. Thank you to everyone who has already responded to protect jobs and keep the railway accessible for disabled people ❤️🚉

Transport for All have a guide (https://www.transportforall.org.uk/campaign/ticket-office-closures/take-action/) and the RMT have a campaign tool (https://www.rmt.org.uk/campaigns/rail/save-ticket-offices) on how to take part in this important campaign.

Take action: oppose ticket office closures » Transport for All

Take action to oppose unjust ticket office closures. Use our template to submit a letter of objection and make your voice heard.

Transport for All

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Jul 15, 2023

In response to the appalling nature of this proposal that would see almost all ticket offices closed, the House of Commons Transport Select Committee this week re-opened their call for evidence on their enquiry into accessible transport.

Disabled people and our organisations now have until 16th August to respond to this enquiry.

https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6805/accessible-transport-legal-obligations/

#NotJustTheTicket #SaveOurTicketOffices #Disabled #accessibility

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Jul 18, 2023

Labour Metro Mayors have launched legal action to oppose ticket office closures.

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Jul 20, 2023

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) have written to ask the EHRC why they appear to have no interest in trying to uphold the Equality Act for any aspect of the DfTs proposals to close ticket offices. Via Disability News Service.

[Update: EHRC wrote to DfT and others on 25th July: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/our-work/news/equality-watchdog-welcomes-rail-ticket-office-closure-consultation-extension]

https://dpac.uk.net/2023/07/an-update-on-our-work-on-ticket-office-closures/

Equality watchdog welcomes rail ticket office closure consultation extension | Equality and Human Rights Commission

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Jul 20, 2023

Longtime disabled activists Doug Paulley and Sarah Leadbetter launch legal action over proposals to close 974 ticket offices. They believe that the consultations are a smokescreen: I agree.

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/activists-launch-legal-action-over-woefully-inadequate-ticket-office-consultations/

Activists launch legal action over ‘woefully inadequate’ ticket office consultations

Disabled activists have launched a legal action against four train companies and a government minister over a series of “woefully inadequate” public consultations that will lead to the closure of n…

Disability News Service

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Jul 25, 2023

There are 1 and a bit days left to tell the train operating companies exactly what you think of closing 974 ticket offices.

All the deets you need are in my megathread: https://mastodon.me.uk/@agvbergin/110662922105816200

Ultimately, I'm 💔 about the effects that job loss for ticket office staff will have on railway workers and disabled people.

[Edit, I counted wrongly, today is 1 and a bit days, but see next post ...]

Ann Bergin (@[email protected])

Transport for All (a disabled people's org) have a massive campaign going against rail ticket office closures. If you care about disabled people being able to use the railway, please join in and respond to the consultation. We need to do all we can to resist this attack on the railway. https://www.transportforall.org.uk/campaign/ticket-office-closures/ #NotJustTheTicket #accessibility #disabled

mastodon.me.uk

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Jul 26, 2023

Train operating companies have extended the deadline from today to 1st September, extending the 21 day consultation to 8 weeks.

(News via Transport for All)

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Jul 30, 2023

Jen on the Move on why campaigning against ticket office closures is not just about the ticket: the biggest loss to the railways in decades.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZwcZ9EjZpQ

The biggest loss to the railway in decades... Save Ticket Offices

YouTube

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Aug 10, 2023

Association of British Commuters research shows closure of ticket offices will in effect remove a whole class of ticket, costing some of the most vulnerable railway users considerably more money.

Removal of boundary fares around the TfL border will result in "price hikes of up to 190% for an off-peak day return to Dartford, and 243% for a peak-time day return to Epsom, Surrey."

Via Disability News Service.

https://abcommuters.com/2023/08/10/ticket-office-closures-mean-londoners-will-pay-double-for-day-trips-outside-the-tfl-boundary/

Ticket office closures mean Londoners will pay double for day trips outside the TfL boundary

Our new data project, based on 82 of the busiest stations in South East England, finds that if ticket offices are closed, Londoners will have to pay much more to take day trips outside the city &#8…

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Aug 10, 2023

DNS reports that turn up and go, already under threat, may be made impossible by ticket office closures.

> Tony Jennings, co-chair of a rail accessibility panel and co-founder of the Campaign for Level Boarding, said disabled people’s right to TUAG and “spontaneous and independent travel” would be under “serious threat” if the closures went ahead.

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/right-to-turn-up-and-go-for-disabled-rail-passengers-under-serious-threat/

Right to ‘turn up and go’ for disabled rail passengers ‘under serious threat’

The right of disabled people to enjoy spontaneous travel on the rail network is under “serious threat” because of the planned closure of nearly 1,000 ticket offices across England, campaigners warn…

Disability News Service

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Aug 10, 2023

I feel like it's difficult to get across how angry folks are about this in the pieces I've shared this evening, so just to be clear: 🤬

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Sep 1, 2023

Last day to help disabled people and railway workers keep ticket offices staffed.

Otherwise ... 974 ticket offices will close, certain types of ticket become unavailable, and turn-up and go stops.

Grim, isn't it?

Easiest way to help is to use the RMT's campaign tool: https://www.rmt.org.uk/campaigns/rail/save-ticket-offices/

Thanks to everyone who already spoke up.

Save Ticket Offices

Over the last year the RMT has been campaigning against the DfT managed train companies’ plans for wholesale ticket office closures.

RMT

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Sep 5, 2023

Transport for All are appealing the DfT's decision to not release their Equality Impact Assessment for closing ticket offices.

Mind boggled at the tremendous amount of energy expended on this just to have us maintain existing often poor accessibility standards. Nothing has been improved. And probably an economist will get another 3000 words or so out of the very highly intractable problem of UK productivity.

https://www.transportforall.org.uk/appeal-submitted-to-government-after-equality-impact-assessment-withheld/

Appeal submitted to government after Equality Impact Assessment withheld » Transport for All

Last week, the Government rejected our Freedom of Information request, in which we asked to see their analysis of how ticket office closures would impact disabled people. The reasons they gave for denying our request are tenuous, and we have today submitted an appeal against this decision. One of the key reasons the government refused our initial request was the need for ministers to have a “safe space” […]

Transport for All

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Sep 5, 2023

Also, please do note that the DfT's protestation against releasing the Equality Impact Assessment was ...

🥁

that ministers and officials needed a "safe space away from public scrutiny" in which to formulate policy.

#NotJustTheTicket

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Sep 20, 2023

DfT continues to refuse to release their Equality Impact Assessment for proposed ticket office closures.

I guess it's useful that there's now a robust defence of their institutional inability to work with disabled people on transport policy in the public domain.

If you want a case study of weaponization of bureaucracy this one will have a lot of material.

https://www.transportforall.org.uk/government-doubles-down-on-decision-to-withhold-impact-assessment-of-ticket-office-closures

#NotJustTheTicket

Government defends decision to withhold "distracting" impact assessment on ticket office closures » Transport for All

Following an internal review, the Department for Transport (DfT) have defended their decision to withhold their Equality and Impact Assessment of ticket office closures, arguing that to release it now would be “distracting”.

Transport for All

Ann 🧡 (she/her)

On the problems caused by the closure of railway ticket offices in Japan, via London Reconnections.

[NB: this article mentions the death of a blind passenger at an unstaffed station.]

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/08/2b1dedac521d-feature-rise-in-japans-unmanned-rail-stations-creating-concerns.html

FEATURE: Rise in Japan's unmanned rail stations creating concerns

Amid a declining population, an increasing number of stations on Japan's local train lines are switching to unmanned operations as railway companies target the bottom line amid decreasing passenger numbers.

KYODO NEWS+

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Oct 6, 2023

Taking a break from the usual programming in this #NotJustTheTicket thread to be really, really angry about cancellation of HS2.

From Jackie Sadek: HS2: a textbook train wreck for the UK economy.

https://www.egi.co.uk/news/hs2-a-textbook-train-wreck-for-the-uk-economy/

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Oct 6, 2023

Update on Sarah Leadbetter and Doug Paulley's judicial review of the consultation. Supported by Transport for All and the @rnib.

> The pair are calling for the consultations to be declared unlawful and any decision to close ticket offices based on their results to be quashed.

#NotJustTheTicket #SaveOurTicketOffices #disabled

https://www.leighday.co.uk/news/news/2023-news/disabled-rail-users-seek-judicial-review-of-consultation-by-rail-operators-on-plans-to-close-hundreds-of-ticket-offices/

Disabled rail users seek judicial review of plans to close hundreds of ticket offices | Leigh Day

Two disabled rail passengers have applied for a judicial review of a consultation on plans to close nearly all ticket offices in England.

Leigh Day

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Oct 23, 2023

House of Commons Transport Committee has written to the DfT having heard evidence from a range of stakeholders on proposals to shut ticket offices.

(Fwiw, I'm not feeling optimistic.)

#NotJustTheTicket #SaveOurTicketOffices #disabled

https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41805/documents/207168/default/

Ann 🧡 (she/her)Oct 30, 2023

The inaptly named "passenger bodies" report on the consultation tomorrow, 31 Oct.

My own expectation is that plans to close ticket offices will go ahead, though it could go slower (with pilots run) or faster. There is already evidence of destaffing due to not filling vacancies created by staff turnover.

#NotJustTheTicket #SaveOurTicketOffices #disabled

Transport Focus's website is down ...

https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/train-station-ticket-office-consultation/

Good news, Transport Focus says (tho FYI their website is very slow right now):

> Transport Focus is objecting to all of the current proposals to close ticket offices.

There is a response to each of the individual TOC proposals. I will look for expert comment on these this evening and share.

Thank you to everyone who replied to the consultation and boosted posts from this thread.

Train station ticket office consultation - Transport Focus

Transport Focus

Penultimate post in this thread. Guardian write-up of today's announcement: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/oct/31/rail-ticket-office-closures-in-england-train-operators

Here's a pull quote of SoS Mark Harper's statement today, the entire thing is doublespeak.

Rail ticket office closures in England scrapped in government U-turn

Watchdogs say they received 750,000 responses to consultation, 99% of which were objections

The Guardian