London’s Freedom Pass, which offers free travel to more than a million older and disabled Londoners, is being formally reviewed amid mounting concern from boroughs about its rapidly rising cost, now set to hit £372 million a year from April.
What the Freedom Pass covers
The Freedom Pass gives eligible Londoners free travel across almost all Transport for London modes, plus many rail services in the capital. Currently, it is valid on buses, the Tube, London Overground, the Elizabeth line and the DLR, with weekday use generally from 9am and all day at weekends.
National Rail services within Greater London are free after 9.30am on weekdays and all day at weekends.
Why the Freedom Pass is being reviewed
London’s 33 boroughs fund the scheme collectively and say it is becoming increasingly hard to afford. The annual bill is rising to £372 million from April, an 11.8 per cent increase, covering an expected 279 million free journeys, including about 221 million by bus and 44.7 million on the Tube.
London Councils has warned that, driven by fare rises and growing eligibility, the cost could reach £500 million by the end of the decade.
Councillors across London describe a growing clash between protecting concessionary travel and maintaining wider services. Richmond faces a 16.2 per cent rise in its Freedom Pass bill, Brent’s costs will climb by more than £2 million, and Kingston and Bromley are looking at increases of around 15 per cent despite having no Tube stations.
Many boroughs use income from parking charges and motoring fines to subsidise concessionary fares, but some, such as Kingston, say even higher parking fees no longer cover what they pay out.
What this could mean for Freedom Pass users
London Councils has begun a review to map out possible reforms and their consequences, while stressing how generous the scheme is compared with the rest of the country. Proposals being explored include raising the qualifying age, introducing means‑testing or removing free National Rail travel within Greater London from the offer.
Officials estimate that restricting the Freedom Pass to free bus travel only could cut costs to about £224 million a year, but this would require changes to the Greater London Authority Act because current rules mandate coverage of all TfL modes.