LONDON pensioners could face limits on free travel across the capital’s transport network as London Councils reviews the Freedom Pass scheme, according to reports.
London Councils, which administers the scheme for the capital’s 32 boroughs and the City of London, is considering whether free travel for residents aged 66 and above should be restricted to bus services only, The Times reported. At present, eligible Londoners can travel free on buses, the Underground, Overground and other rail services.
The annual cost of the scheme is expected to rise by more than 10 per cent this year to £372 million. The cost is met by local authority taxpayers and covers compensation payments to operators, including Transport for London, and bus and rail concession operators.
The increase comes as councils face pressure on spending in areas such as social care and special needs provision.
Stephen Boon, chief operating officer at London Councils, told a pre-Christmas meeting that limiting the Freedom Pass to buses would reduce annual costs to £224 million.
He said increased use of the network, changes in how Elizabeth Line journeys are calculated, and a new charge by TfL for Oyster cards — £1.50 per card for nearly 400,000 passes — had driven up costs.
In meeting papers, Boon said the Society of London Treasurers had “expressed concern about the growing cost of the Freedom Pass scheme,” adding that officers “will continue to work … to identify what other policy options might be used to control the cost of the scheme in future.”
Any change would require amendments to the Greater London Assembly Act 1999. The story was first reported by the Evening Standard.
