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LONDON: Transport for London (TfL) staff will stop saying ‘ladies and gentlemen’ when greeting passengers and should instead use inclusive words like “good morning everyone” to make passengers feel more welcome.
All new pre-recorded announcements at the London Underground will also be changed to use the new phrases, TfL said.
“We want everyone to feel welcome on our transport network,” said Mark Evers, director of customer strategy at TfL.
“We have reviewed the language that we use in announcements and elsewhere and will make sure that it is fully inclusive, reflecting the great diversity of London.”
The change of phrases follows similar moves in other companies, universities and schools across the country to use gender-neutral language.
London mayor Sadiq Khan welcomed the move, after he expressed concern last month that some customers did not feel comfortable about how certain station announcements were made.
“I am keen that TfL addresses these concerns by speaking in a more neutral way when referring to gender,” he said.
“TfL has made a commitment to transition from gender-specific phrases like ‘ladies and gentlemen’ which are currently used in announcements, to a gender-neutral alternative such as ‘good morning/good afternoon everyone”.
TfL said it had told staff about the use of the new phrases, but that “from time-to-time, well-meaning staff may still use the term “ladies and gentlemen”.