Transport User Voice December 2024 – ScotRail ticket office proposals

28 November 2024

Monitoring impact to passengers

ScotRail currently serves passengers with more than 2,000 train services through 359 stations, of which 143 have staffed ticket offices across the country. A 12-week internal staff consultation has been launched on the proposals to change ticket office opening times on the rail network in Scotland. The consultation is expected to conclude at the end of March 2025. 

Changes to ticket office opening times anywhere on the network is an emotive issue, and Transport Focus continues to work with ScotRail to provide clarity around what the proposals mean for passengers. 

During the formal public and industry consultation (2022) which was delivered as part of ScotRail’s obligations within Schedule 17 of the “Ticketing and Settling Agreement”, we highlighted to the operator the importance of this issue to passengers travelling across Scotland.   

The depth of feeling around the issue was demonstrated in the response levels we received, with us accepting over 1500 responses in a 21-day consultation window, during which, fewer people were travelling because of the Covid pandemic. 

As a result of our formal response and recommendations ScotRail has made the following commitments which will help passengers: 

• To review the functionality of ticket machines in terms of both ticket availability and customer accessibility 

• To staff remote stations with poor connectivity included in the ticket office review beyond the ticket office opening hours – giving customers the option to purchase tickets at the station   

• Withdrawing proposals to close three ticket offices 

• To improve its proposal for stations serving hospitals by maintaining current staffing hours at Dalmuir and Hyndland. They will also agree to open Wishaw ticket office on a Sunday – giving a seven-day staff presence.  

Transport Focus recognises that the way people purchase tickets has changed, and that it will continue to do so in the future. However, decisions like this should be given great consideration and ensure that any review of ticket office opening hours helps to deliver a customer focussed, passenger railway where people feel safe and have confidence in the service they receive. 

We will continue to work with ScotRail to help drive greater understanding of passenger concerns around this issue. 

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