Over-60s free travel costs taxpayers £100 MILLION more than fare dodgers
More than 1.5 million people aged 60 and above currently travel for free on London 's buses, Tubes, trains and trams thanks to two schemes: the 60+ Oyster Card for those aged 60 to 65, and the Freedom pass for those 66 and over.
But with costs rapidly rising and many users still working, critics say the benefit is becoming 'difficult' to justify.
Transport for London (TFL) is predicated to spend a staggering £135 million on the 60+ Oyster Card alone this year, up from £60 million in 2016 - and the figure is expected to hit £185 million by 2027.
Meanwhile, the Freedom Pass costs London's boroughs another £350 million annually and could reach nearly £500 million by the end of the decade, as reported by The Telegraph.
The hefty price tag has now sparked debate about whether these schemes are still fair - or sustainable.
According to TfL, 60 per cent of those using the 60+ Oyster Card are still in work, and 20 per cent use it to commute.
On average, Londoners aged 60 to 64 earn about £42,000 a year - nearly double the income of workers in their early twenties.
Critics say this shows the benefit is going to people who don't necessarily need it.
Reem Ibrahim, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: 'It is difficult to justify a system where the wealthiest age group in the country is having their travel funded by taxpayers. We urgently need a targeted approach.'
Liz Emerson, chief executive of the research charity International Foundation, called it a 'perfect example of intergenerational unfairness,' with younger workers essentially footing the bill for their older colleagues' commutes.
The Freedom Pass scheme is managed by the London boroughs, most of which raised council tax by the maximum 5 per cent this year.
The body that it on behalf of the boroughs has warned the the scheme will soon become 'unsustainable.'
The 60+ Oyster Card was introduced by then-Mayor Boris Johnson in 2012, and is funded through council tax and the congestion charge.
Once users celebrate their 66th birthday, they automatically move onto the Freedom Pass - unless they have a disability, in which case they may qualify earlier.
During the pandemic, Mayor Sadiq Khan paused the use of these passes before 9am to save money - a move that generated an extra £15 million in fares.
However, he rejected a proposal to gradually raise the age limit for the 60+ card in line with the state pension age.
A TfL spokesperson told the Telegraph: 'Both the Mayor and TfL are committed to making public transport in London as accessible, convenient, and affordable as possible.
'We regularly review our range of concessions to ensure that they continue to benefit Londoners, while also remaining affordable for TfL to operate.'
It comes as a report released last Wednesday found fare evasion is becoming 'normalised', with train staff telling the inquiry that they are struggling to cope with 'aggressive' passengers who refuse to buy tickets.
Travellers are using 'a range of techniques to persistently' underpay or avoid paying and see it as a 'victimless crime ', according to the Office of Road and Rail (ORR).
It found fare evasion is a mounting problem now costing taxpayers £400million a year which is resulting in higher fares and less investment cash to improve services.
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Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Young man, 29, left 'traumatised' after 'quick trip' to the doctor overseas takes a brutal and terrifying turn: 'I need to get home urgently'
A popular UK adventurer, who previously lost his leg in a motorbike accident, has now experienced a devastating new setback after a bizarre hospital incident. Luke Tarrant quit his job as an investment banker in 2023 to embark on a motorbike voyage across the US and Antarctica. But only eight months into the trip of a lifetime, Luke's plan came crashing down in South America when he suffered a life-changing motorbike accident in Colombia. In May 2024, doctors confirmed that in addition to suffering numerous significant injuries, Luke's left leg was 'dead' and needed to be amputated. But instead of letting the loss of his leg become a setback, Luke has since gone on to inspire his enormous 500,000 Instagram following with his positive attitude and continued zest for adventure. Luke's latest goal was to climb one of the highest peaks ever attempted by a person with disabilities - by scaling a mountain more than 5000m high in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. But all of that changed this week. The typically upbeat man took to his social media account to share a sombre and devastating health update. 'I'm gutted, traumatised and honestly just fed up,' he wrote in a caption alongside a video. Just days out from his ascent, which he'd planned to begin on August 22, Luke said he noticed a fluid build-up around the area where his leg had been amputated. Under the advice of his usual medical team back at home, it was recommended that Luke attend a hospital in Kyrgyzstan to have the cyst examined and drained by a doctor. But according to Luke, what should have been a simple fluid drainage procedure became a brutal act that defied explanation. 'I'm honestly completely traumatised,' Luke said in the video. 'Basically, I had an abscess in my leg or a slight inflammation. And I was advised by people in the UK that it was worth getting some fluid taken out of it.' Luke recounted attending the unnamed hospital and speaking to some of their English speaking medical staff. He claimed he was at pains to explain that he didn't want to do 'anything big' and just wanted them to use a 'small needle to get a bit of fluid out' before he commenced the climb. A heartbreaking video shared by Luke on August 13 saw him detail how his planned mountain climb in Kyrgyzstan had been derailed. A 'gutted' Luke alleged that a routine fluid drainage procedure in hospital was mishandled Despite the assurance that the medical staff understood his request, Luke alleged that what happened next was 'traumatising'. 'The doctor comes out and he's prodding around, prodding around,' Luke recalled. 'He gets a scalpel, he cuts right down my leg in front of me while I'm just there awake in my wheelchair.' By this point, Luke was demanding to know what was going on - all while the doctor was opening the wound with forceps. 'I'm like, "Please stop this". They're all speaking to each other in Russian. No one's telling me what's going on,' he said. 'Next thing I know, he's getting some tweezer things and he's pulling bits out and he's like digging around and cutting. I'm in absolute agony. I'm like asking him to stop. 'I'm now looking down [and] I can see the bone in my leg.' By this point, Luke recalled that he was 'in complete agony and shock'. 'I've gone pale. I'm trying not to pass out.' The disability advocate claimed the ordeal lasted 25 minutes and by the end of it there was 'a massive gaping wound in my leg.' After the procedure, Luke said he proceeded to inform his stunned doctors back at home. '[T]hey were like, "It's absolutely insane what they've done to you. You're a massive risk of infection",' he recalled. They advised Luke against completing the planned trek or even wearing his prosthetic. 'I'm no longer climbing the mountain. It was meant to be a world first for people with disability and it's just turned into this,' a downcast Luke confirmed. Luke had planned to complete the trek alongside former professional rugby player Ed Jackson, with the pair raising money for the charity Millimetres 2 Mountains. The video concluded with Luke saying that he was now urgently flying home to the UK to go to hospital. A subsequent update post showed pictures of Luke in hospital in his home country – but unfortunately the news wasn't great. '[T]he wound is down to the bone and infected,' he revealed. 'They did a procedure to clean it which was agony and may need to operate next week,' he continued. 'Worst case if it spreads to the bone, will need to have my knee chopped off… best case is weeks off my prosthetic in the wheelchair. 'They said what the guy did to me in Kyrgyzstan medically is insane,' he wrote, before concluding with a thank you message for all the 'support' from his followers. The subdued video and update posts were a marked change to Luke's normally upbeat and positive attitude. Accordingly, his fan base was quick to rally around him, offering not only thousands of likes on his Instagram posts, but also inspiring messages of support, encouragement, and resilience. 'Luke. This is part of your journey. It's not the one you asked for, but it's the one you got,' read the start of a lengthy message. 'A year from now you'll be on the top of that mountain despite all circumstances and you'll discover that it was never about the mountain. YOU are the mountain. You got this. You'll see,' the message concluded. 'Yours was never going to be a straightforward comeback story,' commented another person. 'But you eat setbacks for breakfast and there'll be bigger adventurers and more world firsts waiting.' 'Your sad face honestly breaks my heart, Luke! I'm SO sorry you're going through this nightmare,' read the start of another longer reply. 'Time to focus on your recovery, trying to be as positive as you can. You did it once, you can do it again,' they added. 'You're our mentality monster pal, life throws you speed bumps so you can show us how it's done,' explained another inspirational response. 'It's a hefty burden you carry, especially with only one leg, but you're doing a better job than any of us could have imagined despite all the odds. That's why we all find you so inspiring,' the reply continued. 'This is the real work, disappointment and readjustment is much harder to cope with than any mountain. You got this.'
Top Gear
41 minutes ago
- Top Gear
Electric Car Grant: here's every car in the UK that gets the discount
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It's a very different experience to hot Clios of old, but still a good one… there's a sense of humour, good looks, usable performance, gadgets to play with and it's well priced. Read the full review here You might like It's the electric version of Citroen's best-selling car ever, the C3. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. So what does it cost after the grant? From £20,595. What do you think of it? There's a lot we really, really like about the Citroen e-C3… and not a lot we don't. Read the full review here Advertisement - Page continues below Essentially a slightly larger, raised version of the standard C3 supermini. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. So what does it cost after the grant? From £21,595. What do you think of it? It fulfils its brief as a slightly roomier C3 without becoming too posh or too expensive. Read our full review here Good question. It's still a hatchback, but slightly taller. Not tall enough to be an SUV, and too sleek of boot to be a crossover. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. So what does it cost after the grant? From £26,150. What do you think of it? It's an interestingly styled hatch with a very reasonable asking price. Read our full review here Largely identical to the e-C4, only with an elongated rear end. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. So what does it cost after the grant? From £27,215. What do you think of it? Could do with a slightly firmer setup for better body control: the extra weight (over 200kg vs the hybrid) means it suffers from a bounce and a wallowyness that isn't there in the hybrids. Read the full review here A big, friendly Citroen, now in its second generation and freshly electrified. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. What will it cost? From £32,565. What do you think of it? We've not driven it yet, but it sits on the same bones as the Peugeot e-3008 and e-5008, and both of those are decent... Read the full story here Advertisement - Page continues below A van-based car that offers immense practicality and loads of space. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. So what does it cost after the grant? From £29,740. What do you think of it? Enormously practical and built for family life, the Berlingo does all you could realistically ask of it. Read our full review here Only Nissan's second attempt at an electric car since it introduced the Leaf in 2010 and stole a march on everyone. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. So what does it cost after the grant? From £33,500. What do you think of it? Looks fun, but drives a bit more like you'd expect a Nissan to. If you're after an electric family SUV with a decent amount of range, then you could do a lot worse. Read our full review here Advertisement - Page continues below Everyone's favourite learner car, here reimagined as an electrified supermini, ready to be silently dinged into oblivion by an entirely new generation of drivers. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. So what does it cost after the grant? From £21,495. What do you think of it? We've yet to drive the new one, but it's the based on the 'AmpR Small' platform that underpins the award-winning Renault 5. Find out more here Closely related to the wonderful Renault 5 EV, but with an 8cm longer wheelbase. That's why it's a little more expensive than the R5, even if their names might make you think the prices are the other way around. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. So what does it cost after the grant? From £25,495. What do you think of it? There's goodness in the R4 that goes beyond design: the interior is sublime, the tech is well executed, it's value for money and (most importantly of all) unfailingly uplifting to drive. 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But it's also good-looking on the outside and well-finished within. Read our full review here It's an Astra. And specifically, the Astra Electric. There aren't many more recognisable names in the heartland of British motoring these days. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. So what does it cost after the grant? From £32,630. What do you think of it? We like the eighth-generation Astra, and the electric one is the best of the lot… we're just not head-over-heels in love with it. Read our full review here In case you hadn't guessed yet, it's the fully electric version of one of Britain's best-selling cars. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. So what does it cost after the grant? From £25,280. What do you think of it? It's significantly less peacocky than its Honda or Mini rivals, and it'll go further and has bags more room for people. Read our full review here Vauxhall Combo Life Electric The same van-based car as the Citroen e-Berlingo and the Peugeot e-Rifter. 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This is a car you'll buy with your sensible shoes on, and not those fluorescent trainers you got on a whim and haven't worn since. Read our full review here Vauxhall's smallest crossover. How much of the grant applies? £1,500. So what does it cost after the grant? From £30,180. What do you think of it? What the Mokka does is make a Corsa-sized crossover more interesting than it has any right to be. Read the full review here
The Guardian
42 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Drop in new properties for rent is steepest since Covid, says Rics
The flow of new rental properties coming on to the market has fallen at the fastest rate since the first Covid lockdown five years ago, according to research by Britain's property surveyors. Although the demand for properties is steady, there are fewer new rentals from landlords coming available, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) found. The July 2025 Rics Residential Market Survey showed a 'firmly negative trend' in landlords making their properties available for rent, the weakest reading since April 2020. With the lack of fresh supply in the pipeline, rental prices are expected to rise over the next three months, according to the report, which takes a monthly 'sentiment survey' of chartered surveyors. The expected rise comes after another report this week found the average private rents in Great Britain had fallen marginally for the first time in five years. The estate agent Hamptons said lower mortgage rates had helped to take some heat out of the market and that the average rent on a newly let property fell by 0.2% in July compared with a year earlier. The Rics report also said new inquiries from homebuyers had fallen in July, suggesting a softening in demand compared with earlier in the summer. In June, most of those surveyed said there had been a rise in fresh inquiries. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at Rics, said the flatter tone of the latest report showed the market was facing challenges. Last week, the Bank of England voted for a fifth cut in interest rates in a year, reducing the cost of borrowing to 4% amid concerns about the strength of the UK economy. 'Although interest rates were lowered at the latest Bank of England meeting, the split vote has raised doubts about both the timing and extent of further reductions,' Rubinsohn said. 'Meanwhile, uncertainty about the potential contents of the chancellor's autumn budget is also raising some concerns. Against this backdrop, respondents continue to report that the market remains particularly price sensitive at the present time.' The estate agent Knight Frank said the renters' rights bill, which is due to come into force next year and is aimed at reforming the sector, has meant landlords were now increasingly looking to sell. '[Shrinking supply] is one unintended consequence of the forthcoming renters' rights bill, which could make it more onerous to regain possession of a property and raises the risk of void periods,' said Tom Bill, head of residential research. Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at the investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, said the Rics survey showed 'the era of runaway rents isn't over yet' as more people were now chasing fewer homes. One of its recent surveys found that the average renting household had just £62 left at the end of the month.
