London Underground will start closing ticket offices by the end of the year, Tube boss Mike Brown today told London Assembly Members.
The TSSA and RMT unions have staged two strikes in response to the closures which will see ticket offices close on 256 stations and result in the loss of 950 jobs.
Appearing before the Assembly’s transport committee, Mr Brown said the closures would go ahead despite managers failing to secure the support of unions.
He ruled out piloting ticketless stations, saying a number of stations already operate without a ticket office and that managers already understood the effect of closure on passengers.
Mr Brown also dismissed suggestions that LU should hold a public consultation on the closures.
Speaking after the meeting, Darren Johnson AM said: “A common sense approach would be to test out the closure plans on different types of stations around London and take on board the lessons to be learnt.
“There are big doubts that these staff cuts can go ahead without a significant impact on customer service. The Mayor should test and consult, rather than jumping in feet first with a full programme of closures.”
Questioned by Labour Assembly member Val Shawcross over the accessibility of the network for visually impaired and disabled passengers, Mr Brown promised offices would not be closed at a station until he was personally satisfied the station was accessible to all users.
