TfL announced today that new ticket office opening hours will come into effect this week.

The much-disputed changes will be introduced on Sunday 6 February, new ticket office opening hours will be introduced that will see staff moved from behind the ticket desk to ‘areas of stations where they can assist passengers most effectively’. 

The move will go ahead despite the lack of agreement between London Underground and the unions over cutbacks. Last year's numerous tube strikes were the result of the disagreement. 

London Underground claim their decision is due to the increasing amount of Oyster users, who do not need a ticket office. According to TfL, more than 80% of all tube journeys and more than 90% of all bus journeys use Oyster. 

Around 38% of all Tube journeys and 21% of all bus journeys are made using Oyster Pay As You Go.

Some ticket offices, such as those at North Ealing and Latimer Road stations, sell fewer than ten tickets an hour.

All stations will remain staffed while services are running, and every station that currently has a ticket office will retain one - just with opening hours that better suit demand.

Howard Collins, Chief Operating Officer of LU, said: 'The success of Oyster has meant that the number of customers who use the ticket offices has declined sharply, and people are increasingly using ticket machines, the web, and automatic top-ups.

'As we respond to that we have made the commitment that our high safety standards will be retained - every station will remain staffed, and that every station with a ticket office will still have one with opening times that reflect demand.

'Staff who were previously behind under-used ticket office windows will be able to be deployed to places where they can better assist passengers.'

Passengers can find out more about the ticket office opening hours at their local station or on the Transport for London (TfL) website.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT), has voiced concerns over unstaffed stations will turn the rube into a "criminal's paradise". You can read his comments to The Guardian's Dave Hill here. 

What do you think, are London Underground making the right decision here? Let us know what you think.