In June 2007 London Underground announced plans to shut 40 Tube station ticket offices and reduce the opening hours of hundreds more. On the Metropolitan Line alone, nearly every station north of Harrow on the Hill would in some way have been affected as staff numbers at most of these stations would have been cut.

The loss of the ticket offices during the morning peak period, at what is the station’s busiest time, would have resulted in a severe deterioration in the standard of customer service because almost all of the ticket offices at stations in outer London are the points of contact for passengers as well as being the station’s control centre.

London Underground, supported by the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, had intended to implement its plans in March 2008 but because of widespread opposition, the ticket office closures were suspended, but only until autumn 2008. Tube bosses said that because of an increase in the use of the Oyster Card and a fall in the number of paper ticket sales, this justified their decision to shut ticket offices right across the Tube network.

Passengers, on the other hand had been signing petitions outside stations across London throughout the latter stages of last year which were organised by residents’ associations, passenger groups and the trade unions. The largest of these petitions was at North Harrow which attracted the support of 3,449 people.

London Underground and the Mayor of London had been notably unwilling to ask the people who actually use and pay for the train services what they thought about the ticket office closures knowing that they would be unpopular, to say the least. They even reopened the refurbished Regents Park station without a ticket office last year, failing to consult with anyone about this change.

In fact, the majority of Londoners wanted the Mayor of London to stop the closures and an ICM opinion poll revealed that 69 per cent believed that shutting ticket offices would lead to a worse service. In the same poll, 65 per cent said the affected stations would become less safe as a result. It was therefore no surprise that Ken Livingstone tried to avoid the ticket office controversy becoming an election issue, choosing instead to suspend even any further discussion until after polling day.

The campaign to stop the ticket offices from closing had reached a crucial stage. Most passengers did not want to be denied the human contact and assistance, especially when they experienced problems obtaining a ticket from a machine or the Oyster Card failed to function properly. Shutting the ticket offices would have left many stations in the hands of a single member of staff throughout the morning rush hour. This in turn threatened to compromise the safety and security of anyone using the station, as well as making customer care almost non-existent.

The people of North Harrow, who are fortunate to use the most customer focused and passenger friendly station on the entire London Underground network, ‘rose again’ to launch a second petition. It was deliberately planned to coincide with the London Mayoral and Assembly election campaigns.

Charlie Harris, spokesman for the website, 3449sayno.com, said, “There is nothing like the power of the ballot box to concentrate a politician’ s mind. We are sending a message to each and every candidate in the election that nearly 3,500 people from one station alone and thousands more across London, demand that their voices are listened to. The Mayor of London should appreciate that he is an elected servant of the people and not their master.”

Passengers and politicians united against ticket office closures.

More than 2,000 people signed the new petition within the first week of its launch outside North Harrow station and in selected shops throughout the town centre. Many passengers also voiced their anger to the volunteers collecting signatures that the ticket office closures had only been suspended rather than being completely scrapped. Some people believed the suspension had more to do with Ken Livingstone’s re-election strategy than the interests of the passengers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James Bond and the ‘Boris connection’

One man, more than most, realised the value of lobbying the one person with the political clout to make change happen. James Bond, who in addition to working at North Harrow station is also a journalist, used his contacts to set up meetings with the then London Mayoral candidate, Boris Johnson.

“I first met Boris at the start of the year and told him about the threat hanging over 40 Tube station ticket offices. I told him bluntly that there were thousands of votes in this issue for him, knowing full well that with the race for London Mayor between himself and Ken Livingstone going right down to the wire, he would certainly be interested,” said James.

“We talked in great detail about the role of the ticket office in a station at this first meeting, and at subsequent meetings I helped him plan the strategy to stop them from closing. I was therefore delighted to hear that Boris had made a manifesto commitment to stop the ticket office closures, which in turn would prove crucial to the credibility of his safer stations campaign,” added James.

James Bond also invited Boris Johnson to visit North Harrow station during the election campaign and presented him with an opportunity to sign the petition which he did so willingly.

Both main candidates for the London Assembly seat of Brent and Harrow, Bob Blackman and Navin Shah, also stood alongside passengers outside North Harrow station to publicly oppose the ticket office closures.

“Consider the threat has been lifted, annihilated, vapourised, liquidated, exterminated, removed, obliterated, as of now.”

At the meeting of the London Assembly on Wednesday, 18th June 2008, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson announced that Transport for London’s plans to shut the ticket offices were to be scrapped. Following a question from Navin Shah, Brent and Harrow’s London Assembly member, the Mayor gave his unequivocal answer in the form of the quote shown above that he intended to honour his election pledge.

The new petition containing 4,125 signatures from North Harrow passengers was also presented to the Mayor at this meeting.

Jill Kelly, a North Harrow passenger, echoed the sentiments of many when she spoke to a Harrow Observer reporter, “I may not need to buy a ticket every day but it’s important to have a figurehead in the station. The man in the ticket office provides pivotal information about train times, delays, alternative routes, nearby bus stops and more than anything he is just a friendly and familiar face. His work doesn’t end when he issues a ticket so to lose that role would have been a massive injustice.”

Navin Shah, commented, “I am absolutely delighted that the Mayor has listened to Harrow residents and the threat will be lifted with immediate effect. I would also like to congratulate all the local campaigners, residents and Tube users on what is a wonderful victory. The result shows what a persistent and sustained campaign can achieve.”