London Underground Ltd – RIGHT TIME, RIGHT PLACE 1993

Description

Right Time, Right Place (June 1993) diagnoses severe failings in London Underground customer communications—unintelligible PA, cluttered stations, inconsistent signs, poorly trained/invisible staff and fragmented management—and recommends a systemic, customer-focused overhaul. Information should be a centrally managed network asset supported by a fast electronic messaging chain that feeds local PA, electronic displays, Travel Information Service and partners. New roles (Network, Line and Station Information Co‑ordinators) and a Network Control Centre would compile prioritized network bulletins; live voice remains essential for initial disruption announcements with electronic text for ongoing real‑time updates. Immediate priorities: fund PA acoustics and directional speakers, install dot‑matrix displays/Help Points/CCTV, group stations with trained communicators, improve signage and simplify fares/ticketing information. The report urges merged security/information budgets, consolidated customer research, staged IT roll‑out while preserving human decision‑making, clearer pre‑journey channels (phone, Travelcheck, displays), and interim managerial appointments to drive rapid implementation. Customers want intelligible PA, visible disruption signs and accurate real‑time displays.