If the railway wants to attract the new users and be as inclusive as possible, then the “purchase from a person” choice should remain. A far more important priority is to reform the hideously complex charging system on the railway with its enormous variations in price, and to get back a sense that it is a public service which needs to take account of public views in the matter of its delivery. The scale of the response to the ticket office consultation is an indication of the extent to which the rail industry lacks the confidence of the public it is supposed to serve.
