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Ken pledges 24-hour free travel for pensioners
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor15.01.08
Ken Livingstone unveiled his first manifesto pledge for the Mayoral elections with a £20 million promise to give pensioners free travel for 24 hours a day.
Mr Livingstone said that if re-elected in May, he would extend the Freedom Pass - which covers London's buses, trams, Tube and rail network.
At present the Freedom Pass only starts at 9am and pensioners' groups have long complained that they cannot get to early medical and other appointments as a result.
The pass, which is not means-tested, provides free travel for all Londoners over 60. Disabled Londoners also qualify for the scheme and more than one million Londoners are eligible.
Mr Livingstone's pledge is a clear signal that he will fight for the capital's "grey vote" as older residents are much more likely to turn out at the election than younger people.
The Mayor depends heavily on getting poorer pensioners to vote to ensure he wins another four-year term, but Tory Boris Johnson and Lib-Dem Brian Paddick will also battle hard for the older vote.
Mr Livingstone announced that if reelected, he would ensure the extended hours of the Freedom Pass came into effect within the first 12months of his next term. The move would be financed by Transport for London.
The promise is part of the central theme of the Labour campaign, which is to allow all Londoners to share in the capital's success. Mr Livingstone said: "Everyone should be able to take part in London's success. Four out of five Londoners over the age of 60 are retired but they regularly tell me that because of appointments, trips and other issues they need to travel before 9am. Extending the operating hours of the Freedom Pass across the whole day will give these Londoners 24-hour flexibility to travel free with the Freedom Pass.
"[The Freedom Pass] has immeasurably improved the lives of Londoners over 60 and disabled Londoners. That is why I have defended the Freedom Pass against all attacks on it. This policy is part of my central goal of ensuring London's public transport system is open to every Londoner."
Unveiling the policy at Southwark Tube station, the Mayor said extending the pass will cost £20million, compared with TfL's annual revenue of nearly £2.5 billion. Mr Livingstone said on the basis of current strong TfL revenues no increase in fares at all will be required to fund the extended hours.
Mr Livingstone added: "With free travel on the buses for everyone under the age of 18 in full-time education, half-price bus travel for those on income support and now the extension of the Freedom Pass I am continuing my policy to ensure we provide full access to London's transport system."
Pensioners' campaigner and former president of the National Pensioners Convention Rodney Bickerstaffe said: "This is the first time in the first place that has got rid of the discrimination between generations. Now young and old can travel at the same time."
Reader views (18)
Free bus passes for O A P must have saved lives, helped keep emmisions lower and widened horizons for older folk everywhere. The buses are empty most of the day so we just fill them up otherwise they run on empty. To means test will be not be cost effective to administer. I also find that in some parts of the country you can get some cheap rail fares but not here, other than a O A P railpass
- Mrs J Colling, Scarborough North Yorkshire
Please Help
My Parent-In-Law need to travel by Public transport from Staines Middlesex to the Chelsea and Westminister Hospital in London to see there eldest daughter. Both Parents are 80.
Please could you advice on the cheapest [or even a free way] to do this.
Best Regards Mary Bishop
- Mrs Mary Bishop, Staines Middlesex
Boris Johnson Says that pensioners get 24-hour freedom pass but I have to pay whenever I travel before 9 am. I would like to know whether this Freedom Pass is free or not.
- Mariam Nahaboo, London
I have an 9.40am appointment at Guy's Hospital next month. This means that I will have to pay the bus fare of £2.00 as, from experience, I shall have to board a bus before the 9am deadline.
As previous contributors have remarked "Not that many pensioners would voluntarily wish to travel before 9am".
- Emrys Richards, Streatham, London SW16
Travelling with my 80 yr old mother on the tube and busses from her cancer treatment in Euston I noted that the Mayor has not made much changes to the dirt and dust on the stations (it’s called grime) and of course little and no changes for access to people who do not or cannot use stairs. There is no excuse (except all the money went on the Olympics...) for not making all tubes disabled access.
- Musrrod Begum, London
No, please, no!
The overcrowding on trains, buses and tubes that I face no matter what route to work I take is bad enough without Ken sending potentially hundreds of thousands of pensioners onto public transport in rush hour, no doubt at my expense!
What does this man have against the working people of London?
- Liz, London
Ken seems to want us to believe that there are thousands of pensioners out there who want to do battle for a place on an overcrowded rush hour tube or bus before 9am...what a load of nonsense! Any sensible person would stay well clear of the mad rush until things quieten down unless they absolutely have to travel. Its easy to give something away for free when you know no-one will want to use it... £20 million cost? I don't think so!
- Dodge, London
Ken has well and truly lost the plot! Will he, for once, give a thought to the hard-working commuters who struggle to squeeze onto the tube each morning? Why should we pay through the nose not only for our own already extortionate travel costs but also for those whose presence will only make our journeys even harder, nay impossible? Surely the elderly (although over 60 is hardly ancient these days) and unemployed can make their journeys while the rest of us are slaving away at work? Yet another example of Labour actively incentivising us hard-working mugs to give up the rat-race and rely on the state for support...
- Emily, London
It seems that I'm pretty much the only person paying to travel nowadays, kids free, teenagers free, disabled free, unemployed free, students free, anyone on a bendy bus free.
- Andy, London, England
Could the Mayor get on with the job he's paid to do and get the TfL London underground to function in a half efficient way instead of using our money to buy himself votes.
- Alistair Maccoll, London
Can Livingstone explain how he intends to accommodate all of these extra pensioners travelling for free before 9am. The trains are full to bursting, the tube is even worse, and the buses - well, they're those big red things that clog the roads and pollute our atmosphere with their noise and soot.
If Livingstone were to provide pensioners with free travel in black cabs before 9.30am then that would really be worth something.
In the meantime, why not deal with the overcrowding instead and bring back the afternoon restrictions on public transport so that people with discount tickets can't use trains in the evening rush hour?
- Garrett, London
Shoudn't Ken have pointed out a personal interest in this policy? Does someone on well over £100,000 need free travel?
- Dave, London
We seem to be playing a game of 'name that tune'. I'll vote for the winner - who will be the one who promises, hand on heart, to run London on a penny a day (Ken probably).
Failing that, I'll vote for the one who agrees to scrap this ruinously expensive farce in 2012.
- Charlie, London
The impression I get, is that with the buses now becoming the domain of noisy and aggressive hoards of anti-social teenagers, many pensioners are desperately seeking alternative forms of transport!
- Steve R, London, UK
Ken, how about forcing all boroughs to recognise the Blue Badge scheme?
How many pensioners want to use a night bus to get home from a night out at The Ministry of Sound?
- Adam, Harrow, UK
As far as I'm concerned Mr Livingstone could give us free travel in a Rolls Royce to anywhere in the London area - but he still won't get my vote!
- Mike Matthews, Sutton, London, UK
Ah more free tickets - and believe me anybody can get them. There is no over-60's limit!
- Georgie, London
How many of these people over 60 are really retired as Livingstone tells us? Many of them are using the Freedom Pass for travel to full- and part-time jobs, because 60 is young these days. This scheme is fraught with problems, like the free travel for teenagers and school students. Livingstone has always thought money grows on trees and this is a further example.
- Patrick, London, England
