Put passengers first - Caroline Pidgeon urges both sides to back down over dispute on ticket office closures (Ilford South Liberal Democrats)

Ilford South Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

Put passengers first - Caroline Pidgeon urges both sides to back down over dispute on ticket office closures

September 2, 2010 4:38 PM
Originally published by London Assembly Liberal Democrats

Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and deputy chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on the news that talks have broken down between London Underground and the unions with a series of strikes now expected to start on Monday said:

"There are legitimate concerns about TfL's plans to slash the opening hours at so many ticket offices across the Tube network, but taking strike action is not the way forward. The unions are running the risk of losing all public sympathy on this issue.

"The unions should halt their strike action and London Underground should acknowledge the real concern that there is about the closure of these ticket offices. The only losers in this dispute are London's Tube users.

"It is time both sides of this dispute put passengers first."

ENDS

Notes to editors

London Underground repeatedly make claims that many ticket offices only sell less than 10 tickets per hour to justify their plans to reduce ticket opening hours at 90% of ticket offices, leading to almost 7500 reduced opening hours each week. In reality only 8 ticket offices across the whole London Underground sell than 10 tickets on average every hour.