Hands Off Our Freedom Pass

HANDS OFF OUR FREEDOM PASS

On 4th November, Transport Minister, Sadiq Khan announced proposals that the governments would reopen the third year of the funding settlement for the national bus concession - which could result in London losing around half of this funding (just under £30 million).

If the cuts go ahead, they will undoubtedly affect disabled people in every borough as councils attempt to deal with anything up to a £1million funding hole.

This could lead to the tightening of eligibility criteria for the Disabled Person’s Freedom Pass in particular– making the application process even more stringent and intrusive.

There is even the fear that Freedom Passes issued on ‘discretionary’ basis would be under threat in some boroughs.

We must join together to fight off this threat!

The Freedom Pass provides just that, Freedom, for disabled and older Londoners. It allows us to travel for free on the bus, tube and rail networks within London. Without this vital benefit, many of us would not be able to afford essential travel to hospitals, community centres, to local shops or engage in our social lives. This would severely affect the quality of our lives.

With the steep increase in bus and tube fares coming into force in January, the Freedom pass becomes even more essential.

Transport in London is becoming more accessible - The Mayor’s Transport strategy lays out plans for more improvements over the next few years – however what is the point if we can’t afford to use it?

TfA Director Faryal Velmi, said of the news: “Whilst tens of millions of pounds of tax payers money continues to be used to bail out the toxic assets of fat cat bankers – disabled and older people are feeling the pinch.

We must strongly urge the Dept of Transport to rethink its plans and send a message loud and clear – hands off our Freedom Pass!"