The “total shambles” of trying to run Bath ’s railway station without a ticket office has been a “taste of the future,” staff have warned.
Staff had been selling tickets on the concourse at Bath Spa railway station for almost two weeks, after the ticket office had to be temporarily shut due to plaster falling from the ceiling. Great Western Railway is working on reopening the ticket office — but it is still under threat of permanent closure as part of plans to close ticket offices across the country.
The rail company has insisted that the current temporary measures at Bath are not a reflection of how ticket sales would work in the future.
As part of a day of action at stations nationwide, a small protest took place outside the station on August 16 against the plans to permanently close the ticket office. Regional organiser of the RMT union, Brendan Kelly, said that ticket offices provide an important service for customers.
He said: “They go through their journey and make sure they are not overpaying for their journey.”
Councillors on Bath and North East Somerset Council Joanna Wright and Onkar Saini also came to show their support.
Ms Wright pointed out that there was already no customer information office at the nearby bus station. She said: “We are in the middle of a climate crisis and we know that train and bus journeys are the best way forward, and we are not supporting anyone in that process.”
Mr Saini said: “I never see, personally, any empty ticket office. It’s really vital to keep this ticket office open.”
He added that it was particularly important for tourists in a destination city like Bath.
Robin White is an RMT activist who works at the station and has had to deal with the ticket office’s temporary closure. He said: “We have had a taste of what its going to be like without ticket offices.
“The public aren’t happy, the staff aren’t happy, nobody’s happy about it.”
Another person who works at the station said: “We have had six to eight people in the entrance hall at all times and we have been pretty much flat out at all times. And they are talking about putting us down to two.
“It’s not remotely workable.”
They said customers did not have wifi to book tickets on apps, had been unable to print off timetables for customers, and “dozens and dozens of tourists” had wanted to book seat reservations.
One person said: “The amount of people who have travelled for free over the last 12 days because we have had machines go down, we have paid for the ticket office ten times over.
“It’s been a total shambles.”
Great Western Railway insisted that nobody had been allowed to travel for free and said this was not how ticket sales would work if the ticket office was permanently closed.
A spokesperson for the rail company said: “I myself was at Bath Spa station yesterday [16 August]. There were two colleagues assisting staff on the concourse with a steady stream of customers seeking assistance.
“At no point was there any substantial queues and the staff seem to cope quite satisfactory with customers. In addition to those colleagues there was approximately three members of gateline staff. Also no-one has been allowed to travel for free and there was a steady stream of customers using the ticket vending machines which were all in working order.”
A consultation on plans to close ticket offices and change the way tickets are sold is running until 1 September.
People can have their say here.