Smartcard to pave way for ticketless trains However the new generation of smart tickets - known as ITSO - or Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation - will be far more sophisticated. "What is important is that they will get the best priced ticket they are entitled to," Mr Baker told The Daily Telegraph. But their introduction has cast a shadow on the long term future of hundreds of ticket offices which were earmarked for closure by Sir Roy McNulty in his review of the industry earlier in the year. He recommended the closure of the 752 least used offices in an attempt to bring down the industry's operating costs. Mr Baker's remarks were seized upon by Bob Crow, leader of the RMT Transport Union. "The Lib Dem's within this rotten coalition Government have admitted that they are prepared to cave in to the train operators" demands to axe ticket offices in the name of profit and at the expense of passenger service and safety." he said. " They have given the green light to turning our railway stations into a de-staffed, criminals" paradise. Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger Focus, the consumer watchdog, also voiced alarm. Passengers tell us that they prefer to use the ticket office to ensure that they buy the cheapest, valid fare. Ticket vending machines can't do what staffed ticket offices can - not all machines sell the full range of tickets to all destinations, or any tickets at all to some destinations. Many do not provide details of ticket vapidities. Lots of passengers also find the machines physically difficult to operate, with some really struggling to use them at all. When we asked what would make passengers feel safer when travelling on the railway, the message from them was clear, increase the presence of visible staff. The closure of ticket offices might make passengers feel less safe and put them off from travelling by train.