TUBE TICKET OFFICES THE TRUTH

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2014 :: RMTnews 8 D ue to the resolve of RMT members working on London Underground the company has withdrawn plans to unilaterally close ticket offices across the combine. Solid 48-hour strike action last month combined with the threat of another brought LUL back to the table to discuss their destructive plans for the Tube network. Commentators of all political persuasions admitted that the union, with Bob Crow at the forefront, had won the media war despite the onslaught from the right wing press which had to rely on distortions and outright lies. Prime Minister David Cameron told MPs: “The fact is that only three per cent of transactions now involve ticket offices, so it makes sense to have fewer people in those offices”. But research by fullfact.org shows that the Prime Minister missed the important distinction between transactions and journeys, making the level of ticket office use seem lower than it is. Transport for London (TfL), who provided the research behind Cameron’s claim, show that around three per cent of journeys begin with a purchase at a ticket office. To get to this figure, TfL statisticians looked at the average number of tickets sold at ticket office windows in a four-week period in May, September and October last year, and compared it to the number of trips recorded over the same time span. Clearly many transactions pay for more than one journey, including sales of weekly, monthly or annual travelcards. Similarly, top-ups of London’s Oyster electronic ticket system, whose pre-paid fares are cheaper than cash, can pay for more than one trip. More than seven million Oyster cards are in regular use. TfL itself has been careful in how it has used the figure, saying for example, that “due to Oyster and other innovations, just three per cent of Tube journeys involve a visit to a ticket office”. According to the figures provided by TFL on the total number of tickets sold at both ticket offices and ticket machines, around one in five ticket purchases took place at a ticket office, much higher than the three per cent figure advanced by the Prime Minister. In addition to the TfL figures, an independent survey of 1000 Tube users –carried out by the respected polling organisation Survation – found that almost two thirds felt that lawful industrial action as a last resort was justified, with only 29 per cent not sharing that view. Nearly 70 per cent were concerned at the Mayor’s closure plans. London’s elected body, the Greater London Assembly, recently voted for a halt to the ticket office closures, allowing a full public consultation. INCREASED USE New figures obtained by the Labour group on the GLA also show a net increase in total transactions at tube ticket offices from 7.418 million in 2012 to 7.577 million in 2013 – making a nonsense of claims that the booking offices are in decline. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that as the detailed discussions on ticket offices and staffing station-by-station were underway more facts that expose the truth about ticket office usage were emerging which will fuel RMT’s case against the closures and against the job losses. TUBE TICKET OFFICES THE TRUTH THE LIE • Tory leader David Cameron told Parliament that “only three per cent of transactions now involve ticket offices, so it makes sense to have fewer people in those offices”. THE FACTS • One in five journeys originate at a ticket office • 52 per cent of Tube users have been unable to buy tickets from a machine because it was broken • 56 per cent of passengers said they would not vote for Mayor Boris Johnson again for breaking election promise that he would keep ticket offices open • 66 per cent opposed to ticket office closures • The GLA has voted for a halt to the proposals, allowing a full public consultation