Disabled Persons Freedom Pass Fact Sheet
Eligible Disability Criteria
 If you are living in London and you have an eligible
disability, you can apply to your local council for a disabled
freedom pass. The seven main categories of disability in the
Transport Act 2000 which make you eligible for a freedom
pass are listed below.
 If you have any of the following disabilities you can
apply for a freedom pass:
 are blind or partially sighted are profoundly or severely deaf
 are without speech
 have suffered an injury, which has left you with a substantial
and long term adverse effect on your ability to walk
 do not have arms or have a long term loss of the use of both
arms
 have a learning disability, that is defined as, a state of
arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes
significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning
people who, if they applied for a grant for a license to drive
a motor vehicle under part iii of the Road Traffic Act 1988,
would have their application refused pursuant to section 92
of the Act (physical fitness) otherwise than on the ground of
persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.
 Mental Health - Hammersmith & Fulham council also offer
concessionary travel to residents who are in contact with
specialist mental health services and have an enhanced
care plan under the care programme approach. Applications
under this criteria should be completed by the mental health
professional seeing the applicant
Documents
What you need to take with you to the post office
 a completed application form
 one recent passport sized photograph
 proof of your name, age and address
Name and Age Proof Documents
Any one of the following:
 current freedom pass
 letter of pension entitlement
 current passport
 medical card
 birth certificate (unless your name has changed)
 pink driving license (paper or photo card)
Proof of Address Documents
Any one of the following:
 current council tax bill or letter
 current council / housing association rent book / statement /
letter
 current television licence
 any one of the following dated in the last 3 months:
 residential utility bill but not a mobile phone bill
 residential bank /building society statement
 HM Revenues and Customs letter
 Department for Work and Pensions letter
 occupational pension letter
 residential credit card statement
Proof of Disability Category
A Blind or Partially Sighted
You will need to provide either a copy of your Certificate of
Visual Impairment (CVI), previously known as a ‘BD8’, or
evidence of the Local Authority with which you are registered.
B Profoundly or Severely Deaf
You will need to provide either a audiological report or aural
specialist report to prove you have a severe hearing loss
(i.e. if it reaches 70-95 decibels),
or a profound loss (i.e. if it reaches 95+ decibels).
C Without Speech
You will need to provide a medical report to prove that you are
unable to communicate orally in any language.
D Permanent Physical Disability
If you have a disability, or have suffered an injury, which has
a substantial and long term adverse effect on your ability to
walk.
Please provide proof that you are in receipt of either:
 DLA – High Rate Mobility Component or War
Pensioner’s Mobility Component.
 If you are not in receipt of these benefits you will be sent for
a Mobility Assessment to determine the extent of your
condition.
E Disability Affecting Both Arms
You must provide independent medical evidence to prove you
either have a loss of both arms, have permanently lost the use of
both arms or have a deformity affecting both arms.
F Learning Disability
You must be registered with the council’s Learning Disability
Service.
G Barred from holding a driving licence
You must provide a letter from the DVLA or your GP that states
that you would be ‘barred from holding a driving licence’ on the
grounds of your medical fitness.
This could be due to a physical condition, i.e. epilepsy, or
mental health issues where your medication prevents you from
holding a licence. People who are barred from driving for
misusing drugs or alcohol do not qualify under this category.
H Other categories – mental health (do not complete this
form)
If you are applying because of mental health issues and do not
qualify under category G (barred from holding a driving licence),
you will need to contact your Community Mental Health Team.
They will complete a specialist mental health Freedom Pass
application form on your behalf and must provide a copy of your
care plan.
Where do I Apply?
You will need to apply through the council Accessible
Transport Team
Address:
H&F Direct Centre, 1st floor,
Hammersmith Town Hall Extension,
King Street,
Hammersmith
W6 9JU
Telephone: 0208 753 6681
Opening Hours:
 9am to 12.30pm by appointment only
 1pm to 5pm, drop in (no appointment necessary) Monday
to Friday apart from Thursday when closes at 4pm
 Monday to Friday. (the first available dates will be
presented to you - half hour slot to see a specialist officer
 You can cancel and rebook an appointment online or by
calling the above number.
Please Note: If attending in person, lift access to the h&f Direct
Centre is available opposite Hammersmith Town Hall's main
reception. if you are unable to use the lift or the escalator please
call 0208 753 6681 and we will arrange to see you in the main
Town Hall reception. Please note it is often busy around
lunchtime so if possible do try to avoid this time of the day.
Christmas and New Year opening times
Telephone: 0208 753 6681
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, apart from Thursday 9am to 4pm
Fax:
0208 753 4590
Email: about blue badges or disabled persons freedom passes:
 bluebadges@lbhf.gov.uk
 freedompasses@lbhf.gov.uk
taxicards@lbhf.gov.uk
Where and when can you use your pass
Local buses in Greater London
 Your Freedom Pass is valid on all Transport for London (TfL) buses
(in the Greater London area) at any time of day or night.
 Your pass is also valid on local bus services run by other bus
companies which are outside the TfL bus network. Usually your pass
will be valid Monday-Friday 09:30 - 23:00 and anytime at weekends
and on public holidays.
Local buses elsewhere in England
 Your Freedom Pass is valid on many other bus services in England
and has the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme
(ENCTS) 'Rose' printed on it to show this.
 This means you can use your pass on most local services around
the country.
 Usually your pass will be valid Monday-Friday 09:30 - 23:00 and
anytime at weekends and on public holidays.
 The Freedom Pass is not valid on most intercity coach services and
is not valid in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, or on tram or
National Rail services outside London.
 We strongly advise you to contact the bus operating company before
you travel to check the validity of your pass if you are at all uncertain.
Useful contacts for the major bus and coach operators
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National Express www.nationalexpress.com 0871 200 22 33
Green Line www.greenline.co.uk 0871 200 22 33
Arriva www.arrivabus.co.uk 0871 200 22 33
Stagecoach www.stagecoachbus.com 0871 200 22 33
Megabus www.megabus.com/uk/ 0900 1600 900
First www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/ 0871 200 22 33
Veolia www.veolia-transport.co.uk 0871 200 22 33
Underground, Overground and DLR
 The Freedom Pass is accepted all day, every day on the whole of
the London Underground (the 'tube'), Overground (which replaced
the old Silverlink service) and Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
network.
National Rail
 Your Freedom Pass allows you to travel in Standard Class on most
local rail services in London, provided you travel at the following
times:
 Monday to Friday from 9.30am and until 4.30am the following
morning
 Weekends and public holidays at any time
Trams
 The Freedom Pass is accepted all day, every day on London's
trams.
River and Cable Car Travel
Freedom Pass holders are entitled to a 50% discount on normal river
fares on the following services at the following times:
 after 9.00am Mondays to Fridays
 at any time on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays
 at all other times, pass holders must pay a standard fare.
Thames Clippers
 Embankment and London Eye to the O2 and Woolwich Arsenal
 Bankside to Millbank
 Hilton Docklands to Canary Wharf shuttle
Thames Executive Charters
 Putney and Wandsworth to Embankment and Blackfriars
Crown River Cruises
 Westminster to St Katherine's Hop-on, Hop-off circular
City Cruises
 Westminster and London Eye to Tower and Greenwich
Thames River Services
 Westminster to Greenwich (and Thames Barrier Cruise in summer
only)
Westminster Passenger Services (Upriver)
 Westminster to Kew, Richmond and Hampton Court (summer only)
The Woolwich Ferry
 Free to all users at all times.
Emirates Air Line
 Freedom Passes can be used to buy a discounted printed ticket
on the Emirates Air Line
 Freedom Pass holder’s fare is £3.20 one way, which is a discount of
£1.10 on the full fare of £4.30. This is the same fare as for any valid
Oystercard holder. Freedom Pass holders will need to buy a
boarding pass from ticket offices or vending machines which are
available at both terminals, Emirates Greenwich Peninsula and
Emirates Royal Docks.
 There will also be a frequent flyer boarding pass for regular users,
which will allow passengers to make 10 single journeys for £16,
equating to £1.60 per single journey. The frequent flyer boarding
pass will appeal to people living or working in the local area who
wish to use the Emirates Air Line on a regular basis and will be
available to purchase from both Emirates Air Line terminals.
For further information please visit the TfL website.
Freedom Pass Facts:
Q: What is happening?
A: London Councils, which runs the Freedom Pass on behalf of all the
London boroughs and the City of London, is currently reviewing continued
eligibility of 1.2million Freedom Pass holders in London.
Q: Why is an eligibility review being done now?
A: To prevent fraud, a review of the database is being carried out halfway
through the five year term of the Freedom Passes which were issued in
2010. Before then, Freedom Passes were reissued to everyone every two
years which meant the database was updated regularly.
Q: How is eligibility being checked?
A: London Councils has contracted a company called QAS to go through
its database for Freedom Pass holders to check whether any have died or
moved out of London.
Q: Is personal information allowed to be used in this way?
A: This check is solely to prevent fraud; to confirm that everyone who has
a Freedom Pass is entitled to it and to ensure that our records are up to
date. The Freedom Pass application form informs every applicant that
personal information may be used for this purpose. Every Freedom pass
holder has agreed to their information being used in this way when they
signed the application form.
Q: What happens if a Freedom Pass holder has died?
A: If a Freedom Pass holder has died, their Freedom Pass will be
cancelled so it cannot be used by anyone else. People may not be aware
that using someone’s Freedom Pass after they have died is fraud.
Q: What happens if a Freedom Pass holder has moved from the
address we have for them on the database?
A: London Councils will write to all Freedom Pass holders who have
moved from the address on the Freedom Pass database. The letters will
be sent to the Freedom Pass holder’s new address if QAS can provide it
or otherwise to the address listed on the database. The recipient will be
asked to confirm they are still eligible to have a Freedom Pass by
providing proof of their current address. Failure to respond to the letter or
to provide confirmation of a London address will result in the Freedom
Pass being cancelled.
Q: What happens if a Freedom Pass holder has moved to another
address in London?
A: The Freedom Pass holder will need to provide proof of their current
address, for example a recent utility bill, to confirm they are still eligible to
have a Freedom Pass. Failure to respond to the letter will result in the
Freedom Pass being cancelled.
Q: What happens if a Freedom Pass holder has moved outside
London?
A: People who have moved out of London are no longer eligible for a
Freedom Pass because it is paid for by all the London boroughs. Freedom
Pass holders who continue to use their Freedom Passes after moving out
of London are committing fraud. Any Freedom Pass holder who cannot
provide proof that they live in London will have their Freedom Pass
cancelled.
Q: Who can I contact if I have any questions?
A: If you think your Freedom Pass has been cancelled by mistake or
believe the wrong information is held about you or have any questions,
please email freedompassadmin@londoncouncils.gov.uk or telephone
0845 275 7054 (calls from a landline cost the same as a local call but calls
from mobiles may be considerably more expensive).