Draft letter to TfL for you to send your own protest

For the attention of:

Customer Service Centre
London Underground
55 Broadway
London
SW1H 0BD

(tel: 0845 330 9880)

Dear sir or madam

I am unhappy about the proposal by Transport for London to completely close the ticket offices at Totteridge and Whetstone, West Finchley and Mill Hill East stations on the Northern Line as part of the scrapping of 40 ticket offices across London.

As a user (add word such as 'daily', 'regular' or frequent' if appropriate) of Totteridge & Whetstone/West Finchley/Mill Hill East (delete as appropriate) underground station, I request:

1/ That the ticket offices continue to operate for at least their present opening hours each week.

2/ Station staff have the authority to open the ticket office on demand outside those hours to sell tickets or issue new or replacement Oyster cards.

I feel that any savings from the closure of these ticket offices will be outweighed by a large fall in revenues from those stations. In addition, difficulties in buying a ticket are likely to cause many people to switch to alternative travel methods, while a heightened feeling of insecurity when no staff are around may put people off travelling by Underground.

Revenues will fall at the three local stations because some people will be deterred from using the Northern Line and others will take advantage of the lack of supervision to travel without paying.

Around 40 pct of underground travellers still use paper tickets, according to TfL's own figures, and many of these are tourists and other infrequent travellers who are quite likely to need assistance.

TfL's claim that ticket offices are not needed at the three stations because most people use Oyster cards does not hold water, since the offices are not just used by people buying traditional paper tickets. Even Oyster users will need the ticket office from time to time, when they are having problems with the machine or if they have lost their card and need a replacement.

If, as TfL insists, staff will be redeployed elsewhere on the three stations, there is no reason why duty employees should not open up the ticket office as and when requested by travellers. Instead, even before the official closure date, staff are barred from selling tickets through the window outside the already-restricted opening hours.

The ticket office is the obvious place for anyone to go to if they want help with buying a ticket or need assistance reaching the platforms because of infirmity or disability. Similarly, if someone sees something suspicious, feels threatened or is actually being threatened or attacked, he or she will receive help much more quickly if there is someone visible at the station to appeal to, rather than use the communications devices which are being installed on local stations.

Yours faithfully

(add your name and address)

Send this letter to:

Customer Service Centre
London Underground
55 Broadway
London
SW1H 0BD

tel: 0845 330 9880