Due to COVID-19, Sadiq Khan stated he has agreed to a funding package with the Government to allow TfL to continue to run public transport.

In this new deal, free travel will be temporarily suspended for Freedom Pass and 60-plus cardholders at peak times. Disabled people and those over 60 are being penalised for no fault of their own because of the coronavirus.

The Freedom Pass enables disabled passengers to travel without worrying of the extra costs that may face them when they arrive at an inaccessible train station, must turn back, and change route. Or when a lift breaks down and they cannot even board the train or make their way out of the train station after getting off the train. This is the story that us disabled passengers face far too often. It has happened to me on numerous occasions.

I am a double amputee above the knee and I use prosthetic legs. I am also a wheelchair user. Additionally, I am a 3rd year pharmacy student.

Disabled passengers do not deserve extra barriers added to the difficulties we already face using public transport.

Suspending the freedom pass during peak hours (before 9:30 am and between 4-7 pm) will invalidate the freedom pass. One way tickets will be more expensive to purchase; if a disabled passenger uses the freedom pass in the morning and is unable to use it again in the late afternoon. The suspension will also affect bus travel. 

Disabled people already face extra costs in their daily lives. The Disability Price Tag report from Scope in 2019 revealed that ‘on average, disabled adults face extra costs of £583 per month’.

The disabled, over 60s and I are calling on the government to reverse the suspension for Freedom Pass and 60-plus cardholders at peak times. The suspension will create hardship, isolation and further barriers.