Can you please provide me with the percentage of tube/bus journeys, in January 2020, and in August 2020 that were funded by Oyster 60+ and Freedom passes. Obviously since lockdown I have not been travelling to the office very much but as, like all civil servants, I am being encouraged to attend the office more often, I will obviously be financially disadvantaged by having to purchase a ticket as I need to travel before 9:00. I would like to understand whether the decision to disenfranchise those over 60 was just made for financial reasons or whether there is any valid medical basis. As I paid to have an Oyster 60+ card please can you also confirm the legal advice you sought to change the terms of the card without formally advising cardholders.

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TfL Ref: FOI-1066-2021

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 12^th September 2020 asking for information about Oyster 60+ and Freedom passes.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. 

Specifically you asked:

“Can you please provide me with the percentage of tube/bus journeys, in January 2020, and in August 2020 that were funded by Oyster 60+ and Freedom passes.

Obviously since lockdown I have not been travelling to the office very much but as, like all civil servants, I am being encouraged to attend the office more often, I will obviously be financially disadvantaged by having to purchase a ticket as I need to travel before 9:00.

I would like to understand whether the decision to disenfranchise those over 60 was just made for financial reasons or whether there is any valid medical basis.

As I paid to have an Oyster 60+ card please can you also confirm the legal advice you sought to change the terms of the card without formally advising cardholders.”

In regard to your first question, the data is held in four-week reporting periods. In the four-week period from 5^th January to 1^st February 2020, 6.1% of Tube journeys were made on 60+ Pass (2.5%) and Freedom Pass (3.6%) Oyster photocards. Additionally, 16.3% of Bus journeys were made on 60+ Pass (4.3%) and Freedom Pass (12.0%) Oyster photocards.

In the four-week period from 26^th July to 22 August 2020, 6.7% of Tube journeys were made on 60+ Pass (2.8%) and Freedom Pass (3.9%) Oyster photocards. Additionally, 17.7% of Bus journeys were made on 60+ Pass (4.8%) and Freedom Pass (12.9%) Oyster photocards.

In terms of your further questions, Changes to the 60+ London Oyster photocard scheme were included in a formal letter from Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, to the Mayor, dated 14 May 2020. The letter is published on our website here: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/extraordinary-funding-and-financing-agreement-may-2020.pdf

The letter set out an extraordinary funding and financing agreement for Transport for London (TfL) for the period to October 2020. The package was subject to a number of conditions including “the temporary suspension of free travel for Freedom Pass and 60 plus card holders during peak”.

Mayoral Decision 2642 (which can be found on the GLA website here: https://www.london.gov.uk/decisions/md2642-temporary-changes-free-travel-arrangements-older-londoners) provides further information on the reasons and legal basis on which the Mayor directed TfL to make the changes.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by the current situation.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely,

David Wells

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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