I have read your suggestions carefully and I am particularly concerned about your proposal to close all ticketing offices. Whilst I appreciate your plan to increase face-to-face support for customers in other ways, it's clear that the services provided by ticket office staff are essential for some of our most vulnerable residents and their removal may have the effect of marginalising these groups further:
- Exacerbating the digital divide: Already, there several different groups, especially older residents, residents who are neurodivergent, and those who don't have access to the internet, who do not find online booking services straightforward for a variety of reasons. These groups disproportionately rely on ticket offices. I am concerned that closures would exacerbate the existing digital divide, and make these groups less inclined to use train services.
- Support for disabled customers: a number of disabled constituents have contacted my office to explain that they regularly use ticket offices to access mobility support and in person assistance. I am particularly concerned that without easily identifiable ticket offices, disabled customers will not know where to access assistance and will therefore be less inclined to use the railway.
- The App: from personal experience, I have found ticket apps unreliable, especially at peak times. Are SWR certain that ticketing apps will be able to cope with the increased online traffic resulting ticket office closures?
- Capacity on platforms: Despite being a major station, the platforms at Basingstoke are narrow. This poses a risk, particularly at peak times when customers are forced to bunch onto the platforms. These capacity problems must be considered as part of the modernisation proposals.
- Plans for ticket offices: Should the closure of the ticket offices go ahead; I would like to know what SWR plan to do with the newly available space at Basingstoke station.
