London Councils, the organisation that represents London's 33 local authorities, is planning to review the Older Persons' Freedom Pass. The Freedom Pass provides Londoners over State Pension age (66) free public transport across the capital on weekends and after 9am on weekdays.

Any cuts or changes to the Freedom Pass will significantly impact many older Londoners. Below are just some examples of the difference the Freedom Pass makes:

• Older people living in poverty - For older Londoners who are already struggling to make ends meet, the Freedom Pass can help ease some of this strain. For example, people can make savings on their weekly food shops by using their Freedom Pass to reach larger supermarkets with better deals.
• Reducing social isolation - Getting out and about to see friends, family, or visit a community or social group, which are all vital to a person's wellbeing.
• Accessing health appointments - Helping older people access GP, hospital or other health appointments.

Age UK London are writing to London Councils to express our concerns and we need your support. You can co-sign the letter by filling in the form on the right-hand side of this webpage.

Dear Councillor Holland OBE and all members of the London Councils Leaders’ Committee,

We are deeply concerned about the recent announcement that London Councils will conduct a review into the future of the Freedom Pass in London. The Freedom Pass is a significant contributor to quality of life for so many older Londoners. This announcement has caused a great deal of anxiety for Freedom Pass holders for whom this travel concession is a lifeline. We would like to express our strong opposition to any changes that could cut or scale back on the Freedom Pass.

The Freedom Pass helps to enable the enormous contribution older Londoners make to the capital. Older Londoners use their Freedom Pass to travel to other parts of the city where they care for family or friends, pick-up grandchildren from school, provide vital support as volunteers with charities and community groups, and visit high streets and town centres, where they support the local economy.

The Freedom Pass supports people to make important health appointments at hospitals and health centres, which can sometimes be several miles from their homes.

Importantly, the Freedom Pass can play a huge role in reducing social isolation and enabling independent and active lifestyles. In the medium and long-term, it is these active lifestyles, which will reduce costs facing the NHS and social care. People use their passes to get out and about as well as to visit those unable to leave their homes because they are unwell.

Cutting the time that holders could use their pass on weekday mornings has already had an impact, with people reducing the number of journeys they take or cutting back on other costs so they could afford fares before 9am. Amongst those hardest hit by any cuts will be older Londoners on low incomes. London has the highest rate of poverty amongst pensioners in the country, and the Freedom Pass is vital for people struggling in a city with some of the highest cost-of-living in Europe.

Changes which take rail and Underground, or other transport modes, out of what is covered by the Freedom Pass will have a significant impact on Freedom Pass holders. This includes the hundreds of thousands of older Londoners that live in outer London boroughs that have fewer travel options available to them, including places with national rail stations but no Underground services. Travelling across London can take a very long time and relying only on the bus will make some journeys impossible.

Many older Londoners do not have a car and so not having a pass will mean unaffordable travel or staying at home. For those that do have a car there is a risk that making public transport less accessible means some will choose to get back into their cars which will impact both congestion levels and the environment.

Freedom Pass holders have contributed to the Freedom Pass as taxpayers for many decades and value their passes.

Older Londoners understand the pressures local authorities are under, but cutting the Freedom Pass is a backwards step that will make life harder in this great city of ours.

We urge London Councils to consider these points in any review, and to avoid scaling back any of the provisions of the Freedom Pass.

Yours sincerely,

Age UK London and all co-signatories to this letter