Transport for LondonNational scheme
Freedom Pass holders
Freedom Pass holders do not need to apply for a national pass. The Freedom Pass includes a rose symbol and a bus hologram. These indicate that the pass is valid for free travel on local bus services anywhere outside London within England between 09:30 and 23:00 weekdays, at weekends and public holidays* in addition to the travel benefits offered by the Freedom Pass.
*This additional benefit is available to all Freedom Pass holders aged 60 or over, and most holders of the disabled person's Freedom Pass. A minority of disabled person's Freedom Passes are issued at the discretion of the local council and so, under government legislation, will not be valid for use outside London.
Holders should note that outside London, Freedom Passes cannot be read electronically, even where buses are equipped with smartcard readers. These passes should always be shown to the driver for visual inspection outside London.
Concessionary Passes issued by English local authorities outside London
The National Concessionary passes issued by English local authorities outside London are valid at any time within Greater London on all bus services operated on behalf of TfL which display this sign:
Most non-TfL local bus services operating in London now accept Freedom Passes on their services from 09:30-23:00 on weekdays and any time on weekends and public holidays. If in doubt, please ask the driver or call London Councils on 020 7747 4858 or email at mailto:mobility@londoncouncils.gov.uk.
National Concessionary passes issued by English local authorities outside London are not valid for free travel on trams, the Tube, DLR, London Overground and National Rail.
The National concessionary passes include a red rose symbol in the top left hand corner, a red ribbon across the card and a hologram. All local authorities in England issue passes to this same design - the only variation is in the top right-hand area which shows the issuing authority.
Elderly and disabled people outside London should apply to their local authorities for one of the new National Concessionary passes.
If you live outside London and have been issued with a National Concessionary pass on a smartcard, unfortunately the encoding system they use is not compatible with Oyster. When being used for free travel in London, they will need to be visually inspected by the driver.
National concessionary passes issued in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not valid on TfL bus services.
