🚌 Freedom Pass in London: Free Travel Many Grandparents Still Miss

A Maternidade · Independent publisher
Updated 25 Oct 2026 · Source: London Councils (freedompass.org)

Every Tuesday, Maureen takes two buses to look after her grandson in Hackney.

Her daughter asked why she was still paying for every journey at 67. Maureen didn’t have an answer. 🤔

Simple step-by-step guide on the next page

📌 In this guide

👥 Who it’s for
📋 The key rules
⚙️ How it works
🌍 Where it’s valid

🧾 What the Freedom Pass is

The Freedom Pass is a travel card for people who live in London and meet certain age or disability rules.

With it, travel on most public transport in the capital is free — buses, the Tube, trams, the DLR, London Overground, the Elizabeth line and most National Rail trains within London.

It looks a lot like a normal travel card. The difference is that you don’t top it up and you don’t pay a fare.

For someone who travels a few times a week, that adds up over a year.

🤔 Why it exists

Getting around matters more as we get older, or when a disability makes driving hard.

The pass is meant to keep people moving — to the shops, to the GP, to see family — without worrying about the cost of each journey.

It’s run by the London boroughs together, through London Councils, rather than by one single office.

That’s one reason many people aren’t sure where to start.

👀 Who can get one

There are two main types of pass.

The older person’s pass is for London residents who have reached State Pension age, which is currently 66.

The disabled person’s pass is for London residents with certain disabilities, such as being blind or partially sighted, profoundly deaf, or getting the higher rate of the mobility part of some disability benefits.

In both cases, your main home has to be in a London borough. Living nearby, just outside, doesn’t count.

⚙️ How it works

Once you have the card, you simply touch it on the reader like any other travel card.

The older person’s pass and the disabled person’s pass are applied for in different ways.

Some services also have weekday morning time limits, depending on the type of pass. This is the detail that catches a lot of people out. 👇

🌍 Where it’s valid

Inside London, the pass covers most of the transport network.

Outside London, it also gives free travel on local buses across England, usually outside the busy morning hours on weekdays.

It isn’t valid on buses in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, which have their own schemes.

And if you’re over 60 but not yet at pension age, there’s a separate 60+ card that works in a similar way inside London.

So which pass fits your situation, and what do you need to apply?

The next page explains it step by step, so you can check in a couple of minutes.

A Maternidade is an independent publisher, not affiliated with London Councils, Transport for London, your local council or the UK government. Official information is on freedompass.org.