South Western Railway has confirmed that Ryde’s brand new ticket office will soon be closed, as will the ticket office at Shanklin, under national plans announced today (Tuesday).
Proposals put forward will see the closure of all ticket offices across the country, a move which comes as a result of the generational shift in customer behaviour and digital capability that has resulted in many other industries taking similar steps to modernise their customer experience.
It has been revealed that Ryde Esplanade’s newly built ticket office, only recently created as part of the modernisation of the transport interchange, will be closed but an ‘interim full retail capability’ will be retained. In short, customers will be able to buy ticket types unavailable online or via vending machines from a member of staff on the platform. This will only continue until the industry ‘fully transitions to digital ticketing’.
Staff at Ryde Esplanade will be on hand between 06:00-19:00, 7 days a week. Currently, staff are in the ticket office from 05:25 on weekdays, 06:10 on Saturdays and 07:30 on Sundays.
At Shanklin, the ticket office will also be closed. A single member of staff will instead be roving on the platform to assist customers for just 4 hours a day, from 06:00-10:00 between Tuesday and Friday, and 09:00-13:00 on Saturdays. There will be no one present to assist on Mondays or Sundays.
This member of staff will be multi-skilled and able to support customers to buy tickets using digital channels and ticket vending machines, plan their journeys, answer any queries and more. Customers will only be able to buy standard walk-up tickets, monthly and weekly season tickets, and Railcards at Shanklin.
Other Island Line stations at Ryde Pier Head, Ryde St John’s, Smallbrooke Junction, Brading, Sandown and Lake will continue to operate as they do now – unstaffed.
On the other side of the Solent, Portsmouth Harbour will see multiple members of staff supporting colleagues on the platform, as will Fratton. However, Portsmouth & Southsea and Southampton Central will have an interim full retail capability just like Ryde Esplanade.
A short, 3-week consultation on the changes has been launched with Islanders invited to have their say. To comment on these proposals email [email protected] or Freepost RTEH XAGE BYKZ, Transport Focus, PO Box 5594, Southend on Sea, SS1 9PZ by Wednesday 26th July 2023.
Claire Mann, Managing Director, South Western Railway, has said:
“In developing our proposal to modernise and update our stations, we’ve focused on delivering improvements for our customers, while also recognising that our people are the key to doing so.
“Our station colleagues play a vital role in delivering a positive customer experience. This proposal recognises their talent and dedication by opening up opportunities for career progression and comprehensive re-skilling.
“By multi-skilling our colleagues, we can offer a customer service that aligns with what customers actually want and need, in line with their expectations from modern retailing.
“Technology has already enabled significant change at our stations, with 75 per cent of passenger journeys made using smart media today. Our proposal simply seeks to build on these existing trends.
“We are consulting widely on our proposals and welcome feedback to help ensure a smooth transition to a more modern, customer focussed experience at our stations.”
There’s nothing like forward planning and this is nothing like forward planning
I feel for older people that have no idea how a smart phone works, a lot of them wouldn’t even know how to switch a computer on, let alone use one…
It won’t be long before banks start to close down your bank accounts, unless you comply with this digital world..
And remember when cash is no longer available, your bank cards won’t work if you leave your aria juring the next shutdown…
It is very unfair what is going on in the world.
The plandemic was orchestrated to bring in the re-set.
If people ditched their smart phones, the world would go back to the
old normal.
So many people still have no idea what is going on.
And you do know what’s going on because you have access to lots of conspiracy theories on the Internet
Yep, you stick with your ignorance, and suck it up….
Not conspiracy theories, the truth.
Look up Jeff Taylor, John Campbell and Richard Vobes and
you will learn something.
Do many “older people” fit your image of being unable to operate a mobile telephone or computer, do you think?
I, for one, don’t have (and can’t afford) a smart phone. Thank you.
My father in law is 93, he has an I phone, tablet and more tech than I do and knows how to use it.
“In developing our proposal to modernise and update our stations, we’ve focused on delivering improvements for our customers, while also recognising that our people are the key to doing so.” How is closing ticket offices going to achieve this?
Why the consultation? South Western have made up their minds and implemented this already!
Often, rail staff were really good at working out ways to save customers when making ‘complicated’ journey’s; such as only paying rail fare to edge of London, then getting railcard for inner London, for example. Machines do NOT help you with that! Guessing that’s what Southern wants, though. It’s all about the bosses fat bonuses.
Under the new franchise agreements, TOCs no longer get any revenue from ticket sales- they get a fixed income from the DFT for operating their franchise. So the passenger revenue will go straight to the Government.
The ticket office closure is a national issue, individual companies don’t really have a say in it.
Totally ludicrous!! God help anyone over 20/30 and not technically minded. And what was the point in adding a brand new ticket office just to shut it??? Total waste of money as usual. Why do all big businesses not think of the customer and ease of use? You can’t ask a ticket machine questions (well I suppose you can but you won’t get an answer)!!
Island line are a complete joke !!!
Not the local staff at fault . It’s the parent company to blame. Local staff do their best despite the owners total lack of customer service.
Like many managing directors Clare Mann is out of touch with service users needs. I wonder how often she use train services ?
Read as far as the start of the 2nd paragraph:
‘Proposals put forward will see the closure of all ticket offices ACROSS THE COUNTRY’
What part of this are you not getting!! This is a national issue. Not specific to island line at all.
Not ALL ticket offices are going to close, they are to remain open at larger stations, therefore it is local as Island Line is probably the smallest in the UK.
So 75% of tickets are sold using digital technology at the moment. That means that a quarter of rail journeys are not. That’s a lot of passengers who don’t like, or cannot, use modern technology. How many of them will use other transport systems instead? The general public cannot be forced to do something they don’t want to by simply closing the ticket offices and walking away
Now we know what the rail strikes over job losses have been about.
From what I understand, the staff on the platform and the train Guards will still be able to sell tickets.
Railway stations become very unfriendly places when there are no staff there. Many people feel vulnerable when there are no staff present at stations to provide security and a contact point.
I am from a generation where stations had at least a station master and a ticket office.
You also had to buy a very cheap ticket to access the station which provided a level of security for those using the trains.
As with many public services staff are pared to the absolute minimum or removed all together. This allows yobs to have a free rein to occupy these public spaces and to threaten and intimidate service users and commit acts of vandalism
Bad decision. Another case of profit rules.
Agreed. It’s the new world order. If the machine can’t help you there is no help. But hey, there’ll be cameras so when the yobs assault you and kick you around and steal your stuff the police might, only might mind you, look into it weeks later. But likely not at all. No foot patrols will be tasked to check these otherwise deserted yob/dealer hangouts. But what am I saying? There are no foot patrols.
Yes, and as we know most CCTV is of poor quality anyway.
It won’t stop crime.
It never runs hardly used so what is the problem. Scrap it.
You obviously don’t use it then, considering you haven’t noticed the tens of thousands that do use it. Silly Billy….
Tens of thousands where did that figure come from you mean 10 people
…again. You have no idea my friend. You’re simply throwing inaccurate statements about hoping to find some support. I agree the line has had significant problems, but these are getting ironed out slowly. That’s 50 years of neglect being rectified in a few years. But the line is a life line to people, including holiday makers and the subsequent hotels, shops and other businesses that come from the holidaymakers that travel over as foot passengers. All 10 of them.
You can thank the Tories for this.
The digital tyranny is almost complete. You interact with the machines or you don’t interact at all. A swathe of the senior generation has just taken another step into the abyss of non-existence. Luckily they may have children or grandchildren who can do all the internet stuff for them.
But unfortunately a lot haven’t.
I can see the Shanklin closure being acceptable as its the end of the line and people will know where they are going, but not Ryde? WTF? As visitors arrive they will have questions etc and human interaction adds value, but not having that there creates confusion and first impressions 100% hampered. Joke!
Does that mean that travelling on the island will be considered a free bee, who’s going to check if you have a ticket
I’m guessing the Guard or revenue protection staff like they do now.
Do they even have RCIs
something else staff are meant to do. Saw this crap when I was bus driver and they culled conductors. Then on LUL where you had to every bloody job apart from sticking a broom up your ar*e
So what happens when the vending machine is broken and im paying cash? Not forgetting the disabled who need help at the station and older people who don’t have smart phones.
Who cares what a waste of time and money
Seems to me like the banks using similar reasons as people’s choice, we the people are being forced online owing to the closure of offices etc. There is no choice ! Supermarkets next with most turning to self checkouts .
I’m not a robot
Once again so called modernisation is pushed forward with only aim, make more money for the train company! What about disabled people like myself who cannot use digital or ticket machines? What allowance has been made for us? Train companies are discriminating and expecting everyone to be totally able, totally digital; just one word for it…. disgusting! No wonder train users have dropped!
What about blind people – also – foreign tourists, peple in wheelchairs if there is no staff to ask for assistance?
all missed the point think..who is paying for the ticket office that is now not a ticket office…us! whole thing is a vanity project form start to finish and has done nothing to enhance apart from looks better because it is new.. the waste of money is incredible
One person is going to deal with everyone? How will Individual needs be met. Leaving one member of staff to cope with every eventuality? I really hope they get paid well, dealing with the general public is difficult at the best of times.
What idiots,all those millions spent with upgrading rail, refurbished trains and now this – end of Island line very soon. Should of left as was ( old train was reliable and good for tourists ) and spent money to get train to Newport.
It’s specific to ticket offices. Nothing to do with the infrastructure upgrades on the line. Old trains were far from reliable! They were dangerous and horrendous. Only people that liked them were spotters.
Its a massive hit, if they do actually choose to close the offices. Fingers crossed the Esplanade will remain open.
Such a shame there so helpful in ryde ticket office ,this is a joke another stupid idea they need to keep the ticket office to help people
Hundreds of stations are being targeted for ticket office closures. Train stations will be no go zones.
My son was helped by a Lady in a ticket office, when he was targeted by three foreign men. If she hadn’t come to his rescue I doubt he would be here today.
The Victorians deliberately overmanned the railways so that the porters, guards, ticket sellers, ticket inspectors – all were security staff as well. The passengers felt safe and chose to travel by train and the workers felt they were securely employed. But that was a completely different world then…….
“Customers will only be able to buy standard walk-up tickets, monthly and weekly season tickets, and Railcards at Shanklin.”
So are those of us who don’t actually live in Shanklin supposed to just stop travelling? Or just stop buying tickets.
The rail service is a total farce. (Unless you live or work in London)
The plan going forward is 15 minute cities, they don’t want people
travelling.
It’s happening, this is the start of it.
I like choo choo. Trains
Thats me done on trains
Ill just use my car
You voted for the Tories
Starmer will be worse. He prefers Davos to Westminster
THEY WERE HIS OWN WORDS
What an utterly stupid idea, they certainly do NOT care about their customers, not everyone has a smart phone. Disgraceful.
What was the point of building a new ticket office,when they knew they were going to close the it another waste of money !!!!!