Free travel for older Londoners could be cut back

Access to free travel across the capital could be reduced after London Councils confirmed it was planning to carry out a review of the Older Person's Freedom Pass.

The body, which represents London's 32 boroughs and the City of London, is concerned about the rising expense for councils of delivering the scheme.

It said no changes were currently planned, but one of the ideas that has been suggested was to limit free transport for over 66-year-olds to buses only. By doing so, it could save London councils over £100m a year.

The Freedom Pass allows those aged over 66 free travel on buses, the Tube, trams, DLR, London Overground, the Elizabeth line and most National Rail services in the capital.

Older Person's Freedom Pass is paid for by London's 32 boroughs and the City of London Corporation.

Transport for London (TfL) pays for another scheme called the 60+ London Oyster card that provides the same benefits for people over the age of 60, until they become eligible for the Freedom Pass.

But the cost to London's councils of providing the Freedom Pass has risen significantly in recent years and it is expected to go up by almost 12% in the next financial year, from almost £333m in 2025-26 to around £372m in 2026-27.

Documents from London Councils' Transport and Environment Committee meeting from December showed that if the Freedom Pass were to only cover bus journeys in London it would lower the cost to London's councils of providing the scheme to £224m a year.

Stephen Boon, London Councils' chief operating officer, told BBC London the increasing cost of the scheme was down to "more journeys being taken by Freedom Pass-holders and fares increases" and he said this was causing concern among councils "especially at a time when boroughs' finances are under considerable pressure".

"As a concessionary travel scheme, the Freedom Pass is more generous than arrangements in other parts of the country," Boon said. "This is because the Freedom Pass covers all modes of public transport in the capital, whereas concessionary travel schemes in most other areas of England only cover buses."

But officials said restricting the scheme to bus travel was just one example of a potential cost-saving measure, and added that other ideas would also be considered.

Another factor that has led to an increase in cost of the Freedom Pass is that TfL has started charging London Councils for the physical Oyster cards that are used for the Freedom Pass cards.

London Councils has agreed to pay £581,000 for the cards in 2026-27, up from £465,000 in the previous financial year.

A TfL spokesperson defended that change, saying: "For many years, TfL absorbed the cost of printing the Freedom Pass card whereas nationally this is paid for by local authorities.

"It was agreed several years ago with London Councils that this cost would be covered by their annual contribution towards the scheme."

There has long been a debate over whether free travel for older Londoners should be means-tested or scrapped.

In November the issue was the subject of a social media row when the television presenter Kirstie Allsopp criticised the children's author Michael Rosen for having a Freedom Pass, saying "people taking things they did not need" was "bankrupting the country".

Her comments sparked a wider discussion among Londoners, with many defending the passes as a vital benefit for older people who have paid taxes for decades.

London Councils said a range of options would be considered later this year, but any changes to the scheme would require full public consultation to ensure that the impact could be fully assessed before any decisions were made, and it said that might require changes in legislation.

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