Labour London wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi has condemned the Mayor of London’s announcement that tube station ticket offices in Westminster would close from February 2015 alongside huge cuts to staffing levels. Despite Boris Johnson’s election pledge not to close any of the tube network’s ticket offices, it was announced last week that all of Westminster’s ticket offices will be closed by December resulting in hundreds fewer tube staff in stations. 

The closures timeline announced by TfL means that the process for closing the ticket offices in 31 stations in the borough will start in February next year. The closures will also see almost 900 staff cut from the tube stations. Murad Qureshi has expressed particular concern about the impact the staff cuts will have on disabled and elderly passengers.

Despite the reduced staff service planned for tube stations, fares are once again due to go up just a month before the closures start, this will mean fares have risen 40% since Boris Johnson became Mayor.

Murad Qureshi AM, Labour London wide Assembly Member, said: 

“More people than ever are using the tube network yet Boris Johnson’s cuts will mean hundreds fewer staff there to help passengers. It is outrageous that just a month after Londoners face another round of fare rises, Boris Johnson plans to cut the service they are offered. It’s a real case of the Mayor asking Londoners to pay more and get less in return.

“This fight isn’t about whether staff are based in ticket offices or on platforms, it’s about whether there are enough staff overall to provide customers with a good service, particularly the elderly and disabled.

“Before he was elected Boris Johnson promised voters that he would not close any of the capital’s ticket offices, now he is set to axe them all. Londoners will have to ask how much the Mayor’s word is really worth.”

ENDS 

Notes

The full timetable for ticket office closures is available here. Murad Qureshi is a Labour London wide Assembly Member.