Free travel for older Londoners could see some changes as authorities confirm they will be carrying out a review of the Freedom Pass.
London Councils, a body that represents London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London, said it is concerned about the rising costs of the scheme for boroughs that are already under financial pressure.
The Older Person’s Freedom Pass is available to London residents aged 66 or older, and allows free public transport across the capital, including buses, the Tube, National Rail trains and more, as well as on local buses in England. It is also available to Londoners with disabilities regardless of age.
The pass does have some limitations. It cannot be used at peak times between 4.30am and 9am on weekdays on TfL services and National Rail.
The cost to London’s councils of providing the Freedom Pass has risen significantly in recent years, according to documents from a London Councils Transport and Environment Committee meeting in December.
It is expected to go up by almost 12 per cent in the next financial year, from almost £333m in 2025-26 to around £372m in 2026-27.
Stephen Boon, the chief operating officer at London Councils, told The Independent that the Freedom Pass is more “generous” than similar concessionary travel schemes across the country.
He 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.
“The main reasons for the rise are more journeys being taken by Freedom Pass holders and fares increases.
“There are concerns about these rising costs, especially at a time when boroughs’ finances are under considerable pressure.”
The Transport and Environment Committee is expected to revisit the issue later in the year, but Mr Boon clarified that “no changes are currently planned to the scheme”.
Potential ways to reduce the cost of the scheme have been floated. Mr Boon told The Standard that the scheme’s costs could be reduced to £224 a year if the Freedom Pass were restricted to only offering free bus travel.
In addition raising travel fares in recent years, London Councils said that Transport for London (TfL) has started to charge for the Oyster cards used to make Freedom Passes after Oyster use had dwindled due to the rise of contactless payments.
Until 2023/24, TfL supplied London Councils with a stock of free Oyster cards, which London Councils used to make Freedom Passes. From 2026/27, TfL will be levying charges for all passes.
London Councils have agreed that a figure of £581,000 (up from £465,000 in 2025/26) should be included in their TfL settlement next year to reflect the cost of the passes to TfL (£1.50 per card).
A TfL spokesperson told BBC London: "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."
TfL runs and pays for another scheme called the 60+ London Oyster card that provides the same benefits for those aged 60 and over until they become eligible for the Freedom Pass.
The review comes after a heated social media exchange in November, which saw television presenter Kirstie Allsop claim the Freedom was “bankrupting our country”.
The comment was in response to children’s author Michael Rosen stating on X (formerly Twitter) that his pass was not working and he could not obtain a replacement.
Allsopp responded directly to his post, stating: "A writer so successful that today is a day dedicated to him in schools all over the country thinks it is reasonable that he travels for free due to his age. People have to stop taking things they do not need, it is wrong and it is bankrupting our country."
The Independent has contacted TfL for comment.
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