Am I eligible for a Freedom Pass?

There are two types of Freedom Pass, each have separate eligibility requirements. You must meet all of the requirements to be eligible for a Freedom Pass.

A Freedom Pass has a 5 year expiry date from when it was issued. This denotes the lifespan of the card, and does not indicate how long someone is entitled to hold the pass for. Therefore, if you no longer meet the eligibility criteria for the Freedom Pass, such as moving out of London, the Freedom Pass you hold can be stopped.

Older Person's Freedom Pass

The older person's Freedom pass is available to all London residents over the age of 66.

Age

You become eligible for an older person's Freedom Pass on your 66th birthday, however, you can start your application process 14 days before your 66th birthday.

For example, if you were born 1st March 1964, you would be eligible for a Freedom pass 1st March 2030, however, you could begin your application process 16th February 2030.

You will need to provide proof of your age. Find out more about what forms of proof of age we accept.

Residency

To be eligible, you must live at a London address, and this needs to be your 'sole' or 'principal' residence, which means you live there most of the time. You will need to provide proof of address. Find out what forms of proof of address we require.

If you work or study in London but do not live there, you will not be eligible for a Freedom Pass. 

If you move out of London, you are no longer eligible for a Freedom Pass. You may however be eligible for other concessionary fares from your new local authority, which could still allow you free travel on London's bus network.

Disabled person's Freedom Pass

The Disabled Person's Freedom Pass is available to London residents (aged 5 and over) with eligible disabilities.

Disability

You can apply for a Disabled Person’s Freedom Pass if you have any of the following statutory disabilities listed in the Transport Act 2000:

• People who are blind or partially sighted 
• People who are profoundly or severely deaf
• People without speech
• People who have a disability, or have suffered an injury, which has left them with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to walk
• People who do not have arms or have a long-term loss of the use of both arms
• People who have a learning disability that is defined as 'a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning'
• People who, if they applied for the grant of a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, would have their application refused pursuant to section 92 of the Act (physical fitness) otherwise than on the ground of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.

Residency

To be eligible, you must live at a London Address, and this needs to be your 'sole' or 'principal' residence, which means you live there most of the time. You will need to provide proof of address. Find out what forms of proof of address we require.

If you work or study in London but do not live there, you will not be eligible for a Freedom Pass. 

If you move out of London, you are no longer eligible for a Freedom Pass. You may however be eligible for other concessionary fares from your new local authority, which could still allow you free travel on London's bus network.

Discretionary disabled Freedom Pass

A number of boroughs issue discretionary Freedom Passes to disabled people who do not meet the statutory eligibility criteria. The number of boroughs offering these may be subject to change and because these passes are discretionary, they could be withdrawn at a future date.

If you change address and move into a different London borough, your discretionary Freedom Pass will no longer be valid and you must submit an application to your new local authority.

If you are a discretionary passholder, your pass is not valid for travel outside of London. You have the same entitlement as other Freedom Pass holders on Transport for London (TfL)  buses, tube, trams, DLR and national rail within Greater London.