Mayor Dan Norris has today issued an urgent plea to passengers in the West of England to join the fight against the mass closures of ticket offices across the country.
Members of the public have just over SEVEN DAYS left to have their say on proposals put forward by train operators to shut ticket offices at 974 stations, including seven in the region.
This includes booths at Filton Abbey Wood, Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Parkway, Yate, Oldfield Park and Keynsham, where an estimated 600,000 paper tickets were sold last year.
Mr Norris, who last month met the Rail Minister to raise his opposition to the Government’s plans, and campaigners against the proposals in Bristol, is urging people who have yet to do so to ensure their voices are heard in the consultation by visiting https://www.gwr.com/haveyoursay.
Mayor Dan Norris said: “Many residents value the advice provided by staff in ticket offices. After all, tickets can be tricky – not everyone is clued up on the difference between ‘peak’ and ‘off-peak’ times, or the perks of an advance single versus a super off-peak ticket for certain journeys!
“But it has become clear to me for some time that ministers are set on rushing through these botched plans, whatever the consequences. They tried to do it in 21 days, and failed, and even since then I haven’t seen any willingness whatsoever to address the real concerns of residents in the West of England who will feel the impact of these changes the most.
“I urge locals who haven’t already done so to make their voices heard in this vital consultation, and show why these proposals are not fit for purpose. If hundreds provide feedback, it will be ignored. If it’s in the thousands, or tens of thousands, it can’t be.
“Because we need to do everything possible to encourage people onto trains in the West of England – putting up barriers is self defeating. That’s vital if we are going to meet our ambitious net-zero targets locally.”
The consultation closes on 1 September, which is next Friday.