Free Transport For Londoners At 60

M@
By M@ Last edited 137 months ago
Free Transport For Londoners At 60

From 1 November, any Londoner aged 60 or over will be able to travel round the city for free. The Mayor of London has announced a 60+ Oyster photocard that lowers the age of free transport. The concession will work on the Tube, buses, DLR, trams and Overground, as well as most national rail services outside peak hours but inside London. Boats and cable cars will still cost you.

Until recently, anyone who'd blown out 60 candles could enjoy gratis travel on the Freedom Pass, issued by London councils. In 2010, the Government increased the qualification age for a Freedom Pass to 61, in line with national pensions for women. The Mayor's new scheme acts as a stopgap, offering free travel for that stolen year. Annoyingly for haters of admin, the 60+ Oyster must be replaced by the Freedom Pass once the carrier reaches qualification age (i.e. one year later), rather than remaining valid for life.

Applications for the 60+ Oyster can be made from 17 October via the TfL website. Applicants must be resident in London, of the correct age, and have a valid email address. Photo ID and a £10 fee will also be required. TfL estimates around 100,000 applications off the bat, with a further 10,000 enquiries per month.

Image by sarahluv in the Londonist Flickr pool.

Last Updated 01 October 2012