@daanfthaale@TfL "One tresspasser", one tresspasser is enough to suspend services, the person is comteplating whether to kill themselves or not from a bridge, a train driver sees that, they immediately have to stop, inform their superior and stop the train.
You've just stated "given back up and support". It may be happy for you that you wasn't given training to restrain, but you were "given backup and support." Customer Service Assistants are not backed up enough by TfL with Revenue Officers or British Transport Police in every station to tackle fare evasion, is that then a Customer Service Assistant's fault? which seems so many people like yourself assume that it is?
They came to work safely, they expect and deserve to go home the same way they came.
So say you're a father or a relative, how would you respond to an incident where you get a phone call, or a knock on the door from police stating that your child or relative has been stabbed to death because he was attacked for this similar incident in their workplace? Which could've been totally avoidable.
Exactly what do you expect the staff to acutually do? Why should Customer Ssrvice Assistants risk their health and safety to do something that they're not paid to do or that's not in their contract to carry out? Who's to say that the person commiting that offence of fare evasion won't then whip out a knife or acid to use and attack if they were about to be challenged, which I have witnessed take place towards Customer Service Assistants in their work enviorment.
The fact is Customer Service Assistants on gateline duties are there for customer service/assistance as per their title. Customer Service Assistants are not authorised to stop fare evaders. TFL employs Revenue Protection Officers and Investigators to deal with them, there's not enough of them to cover the network or each station. Customer Service Asssistants are not responsible for challenging fare dodgers. Don't be so ignorant.
Keeping passengers "safe and orderly" linked to a Customer Service Assistant's job description is making sure the station is secure and free of any potential bomb threat and suspicious behaviour, which is done by having security patrols in the station around the clock, and responding to anything or anyone suspicious with the correct rules and procedures they have been trained with.
Keeping passengers 'safe and orderly' linked to a Customer Service Assistant's job description is making sure customers are well managed on the platform with crowd control in place during peak hours and events.
Keeping passengers "safe and ordely" from a Customer Service Assistant's job description is making sure customers are safely evacuated from the station should there a fire or any other valid reason to evacuate
Keeping passengers "safe and orderly" linked to a Customer Service Assistant's job description is making sure visually and mobility impaired passengers are guided on and off the train with the correct assitance and equipment required for them to be on and off train safely
Keeping passengers "safe and orderly" linked to a Customer Assistsnt's job description is making sure tickets customers enquire from staff is correctly issue for their journey.
Keeping passenger "safe and orderly" linked to a Customer Service Assistants job description does not involve challenging fare dodgers, because it's best for their safety and well-being. Revenue Protection Officers are responsible for fare dodgers, there's not enough officers to cover the network, the responsibility does not lead to Customer Service Assistants.
"And Staff watch." Exactly what did you expect the staff to acutually do? Why should they risk their health and safety to do something that they're not paid to do or that's not in their contract to carry out? Who's to say that the person commiting that offence of fare evasion won't whip out a knife or acid to use and attack if they were about to be challenged, which I have witnessed take place towards Customer Service Assistants
The fact is Customer Service Assistants on gateline duties are there for customer service/assistance as per their title. Customer Service Assistants are not authorised to stop fare evaders. TFL employs Revenue Protection Officers and investigators to deal with them, there's not enough of them to cover the network or each station. Customer Service Asssistants are not responsible for challenging fare dodgers.
Think before you react, for you say 'sack the lot of them', then you would be in a worse situation because there will be no one to operate the trains until the lot of people that were sacked are replaced and accept the current work conditions, and on top of that are fully licensed and trained, and believe me, training to be a fully qualified operator ain't a short process. So you're looking at having a next to nothing train service for well over year, enjoy your alternative public transport in the mean time though 👍🏾
per TfL/DfT 2025 estimates: ~£20bn to fully automate (GoA4 driverless) just three oldest lines—Bakerloo £4.4bn, Central £10bn, Piccadilly £4.9bn. Full network would be far higher (40-60bn+ est.) due to ageing tunnels, signalling & platform edge doors needed. Older 2020 figure was £7bn but called poor value; payback takes decades vs driver wages saved.
• The £40-60bn full-network figure extrapolates TfL/DfT's 2025 est. of £20bn just for the 3 oldest lines (Bakerloo £4.4bn, Central £10bn, Piccadilly £4.9bn on top of new trains already ordered).
• Main cost drivers:
• Platform edge doors (~£2-2.5m per platform; ~500 platforms network-wide, plus heavy retrofits for curved Victorian ones).
- Full CBTC signalling replacement.
- Station reengineering (cameras, gap fillers, equipment rooms).
- Depot automation & segregation.
- Deep-tunnel civil works (track raising, emergency access, power/vent upgrades in 130+ yr old narrow bores).
Basically to sum it up, your wish for AI to take over the whole tube network will neither be in you or you grandchildren's lifetime. You've got a good dream though, I'll give you that 👏🏼😂
"They never do anything." Really? then you go and assist and assist mobility impaired passengers needing a ramp onto or off a train, or assist visually impaired passengers needing a helping hand on and off a train.
"They never do anything." Really? Then I guess you should go to customers on the platform when there's an evacuation taking place, passengers are still on the platform oblivious to the fact a train is not coming and they need to get out, to the point that it has to take Customer Service Assistants who you claim "never do anything" to shove common sense into the people on the platform to leave immediately.
"They never do anything" Really? Then why don't you instead do security patrols around the station consistently making sure the station is free of any potential bombs in any blind spots, or suspcious behaviour around the station making sure yourself as well as everyone else is safe.
"They never do anything." Really? Then why don't you go to the platform on call when a passenger is having a cardiac arrest on the platform which leads to a defribrillator being used to restore their life whilst emergency services are still on the way to the station, but hey, the Customer Service Assistants "never do anything."
"I should start doing the same." Feel free to do that, it just makes you as bad as them and the fact and the fact will still remain that staff at station gatelines are 'Customer Service Assistants', not Revenue Protection Officers. Station staff are employed for Customer Service responsibilites hence their job title 'Customer Service Assistant', their responsibilites doesn't not involve challenging fare dodgers, for their safety, as they are not Revenue Protection Officers or British Transport Police.
When CSA's are on the gateline, their duty is providing service information to customers enquiries, ticket assistance, making sure ticket barriers are fully fuctioning, arranging assistance for the visually and mobility impaired when required.
@ME8Gills@TfL So say the auto system fails at a certain time and the train is stuck in the tunnel, it needs a manual operation to move, what will happen? how is the train going to move if there's no driver on board?
If none of the gateline staff did anything when the men pushed through barrier, then that's a job well done to them, because the fact is they're Customer Service Assistants, not Revenue Protection Officers. Station staff are employed for Customer Service responsibilites hence their job title 'Customer Service Assistant', their responsibilites doesn't not involve challenging fare dodgers, for their safety, as they are not Revenue Protection Officers or British Transport Police.
When CSA's are on the gateline, their duty is providing service information to customers enquiries, ticket assistance, making sure ticket barriers are fully fuctioning, arranging assistance for the visually and mobility impaired when required.