Number of journeys made annually using the Freedom Pass

The request was successful.

Dear Transport for London,

Please could you provide me with the following information:

1. The number of bus, rail and underground journeys made using the Freedom Pass in the financial year 2010/11, (or calendar year 2010 if that is how the data is collected). Please can you state clearly if this is an actual recorded number or simply an estimated number.

2. If the number is of actual recorded journeys, please can you tell me the cost of those journeys based on standard fare charges.

3. The total number of Freedom Passes issued and charged to London Boroughs for the same time period.

4. Please can you tell me if the number of journeys made by Freedom Pass holders can be attributed to the London Borough who issued the Freedom Pass.

4. Please can you tell me how the cost to London Boroughs for each Freedom Pass is calculated.

Yours faithfully,

John Dix

FOI, Transport for London

Dear Mr Dix

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 3 June
2011 where you have asked for information about Freedom Pass usage
statistics.

Your request will be processed in accordance with TfL’s Freedom of
Information Act 2000 procedure and a response will be provided to you by 1
July in accordance with the Act.

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours Sincerely

Lee Hill
FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team
Corporate Governance Directorate
General Counsel
Transport for London
[1][TfL request email]

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FOI, Transport for London

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Dix

TfL Ref: FOI-0255-1112

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 3 June
2011 asking for information about Freedom Pass usage.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act and TfL’s information access policy. I
can confirm TfL holds some of the information you require. For ease of
reference I will address each part of the response as outlined in your
request.

1. The number of bus, rail and underground journeys made using the Freedom
Pass in the financial year 2010/11, (or calendar year 2010 if that is how
the data is collected). Please can you state clearly if this is an actual
recorded number or simply an estimated number.

The latest readily available recorded figures are for the year ending 30
September 2010. The number of journeys taken was:

Bus 307.7 million

Underground 49.9 million.

National Rail (NR) services are not provided by TfL, and TfL does not have
comprehensive information on usage of Freedom Passes on NR services.

2. If the number is of actual recorded journeys, please can you tell me
the cost of those journeys based on standard fare charges.

These numbers are based on Oyster validations plus an estimate for
unvalidated journeys. We are unsure what is meant by “standard fare
charges”.

For illustration, at 2010 fares, the standard Pay As You Go (PAYG) fare on
buses was £1.20, which would give a total value of bus journeys of
£369.2 million; the average PAYG fare on the Underground was £1.78 which
would give a total value of Underground journeys of £88.8 million.

3. The total number of Freedom Passes issued and charged to London
Boroughs for the same time period.

Freedom Passes are issued by the London Boroughs, not TfL. The Boroughs
are not charged on a “per permit” basis (see below). TfL understands
that the number of holders is around 1.1 million.

4. Please can you tell me if the number of journeys made by Freedom Pass
holders can be attributed to the London Borough who issued the Freedom
Pass.

Yes, where an Oyster validation is obtained.

4. Please can you tell me how the cost to London Boroughs for each Freedom
Pass is calculated.

A total cost (i.e. not a “per permit” figure) is agreed in respect of
each financial year. The basis of the payment (as set down in the GLA Act)
is that TfL’s costs should be met. The main elements in the calculations
are as follows:

● The number of Freedom Pass journeys are estimated (after
removing journeys during the AM peak Mon-Fri for which the Boroughs do not
pay)

● Econometric models are used:

a) to assess the number of journeys that would still be made in the
absence of the Freedom Pass scheme;

b) to estimate an appropriate average fare, based on the likely
ticket-type mix (cash fares, Pay As You Go, Travelcards etc.) of those
journeys;

c) to estimate the costs in incurred in providing additional
buses to carry the additional journeys the free scheme generates.

● The values of a) and b) for each mode of transport (Buses,
Underground, DLR, Tramlink, Overground) are then multiplied together to
give a payment for each mode. These are then added, together with the
amount in c), to give the total payment by the Boroughs.

The allocation of this cost between individual Boroughs is a matter for
them individually.

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

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

Lee Hill

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

Corporate Governance Directorate

General Counsel

Transport for London

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Dear Mr Hill,

Thank you for your response. I am however puzzled at the results and would ask if you could clarify this further. You state that there are approximately 1.1 million freedom passes but that in total there were 307.7 million bus journeys and 49.9 million underground journeys. As such on average each freedom pass holder is making 150 return bus journeys and 25 return tube journeys each year. This is an exceptionally high usage level and one which I struggle to find credible. In particular I would be interested to understand how these usage figures are audited to test their validity and who audits this scheme. I would also be interested to understand if there is any evidence as to the level of fraud in terms of people selling or passing on their freedom pass to non qualifying users.

Thanks for your help.

Yours sincerely,

John Dix

FOI, Transport for London

Dear Mr Dix

TfL Ref: FOI-0407-1112

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 4 July
2011 asking for information about Freedom Pass usage.

Your request will be processed in accordance with the requirements of the
Freedom of Information Act and TfL’s information access policy.

A response will be provided to you by 2 August.

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Lee Hill
FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team
Corporate Governance Directorate
General Counsel
Transport for London

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FOI, Transport for London

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Dix

TfL Ref: FOI-0407-1112

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 4 July
2011 asking for information about Freedom Pass usage.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act and TfL’s information access policy. I
can confirm TfL does hold the information you require. You asked, in
relation to our response to your previous FOI requeay (FOI-0255-1112) for
clarification of our statement regarding the number of Freedom Pass
holders and the number of journeys they make. You also asked:

how these usage figures are audited to test their validity and who audits
this scheme. I would also be interested to understand if there is any
evidence as to the level of fraud in terms of people selling or passing on
their freedom pass to non qualifying users.

The total bus journeys in London are around 45 million per week, the great
majority will be made by the London residential population of around 8
million people, implying an average trip rate of 5-6 bus trips per person
per week. This is very similar to the rate for Freedom Pass holders of 5.4
(307.7m ÷ 52 ÷ 1.1m).

For London Underground the total trips per week are around 22 million, or
a trip rate of 2-2.5 per week per Londoner, after allowing for trips by
non-residents.

Against this, the Freedom Pass trip rate is just under 1 trip per person
per week (49.9m ÷ 52 ÷ 1.1). As much of the Underground usage is
associated with employment, the rate for Freedom Pass holders would be
expected to be lower. Given the above rationale the Freedom Pass trip
rates provided in our previous response are entirely credible.

The journey numbers are primarily based on Oyster data. They are subject
to regular scrutiny by TfL and London Council officers. They are also
subject to periodic audit by TfL’s internal auditors as part of audit
functions relating to the Concessionary Fares settlement with the
Boroughs.

In relation to your concerns about the level of fraudulent use of Freedom
Passes, please see the attached file which contains figures for Freedom
Pass irregularities on both bus and London Underground in comparison with
all other ticket irregularities.

The irregularity described here is referring to a report from a Revenue
Inspector concerning a passenger detected using a Freedom Pass they are
not entitled to use (transferred usage) or which is no longer valid for
use e.g. out of date.

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

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

Lee Hill

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

Corporate Governance Directorate

General Counsel

Transport for London

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C Green left an annotation ()

John Dix,

Very useful to read your FOI request and the replies. But I struggle to see why you think fewer than three return bus trips a week and one tube return a fortnight are not credible figures? Trips to local shops for supplies and visits to family or friends would take care of those instantly, especially in the first years of the Freedom Pass, when older people are still mobile and free from work. I have been surprised by how LOW the usage of the tube is...

Yours,

C Green

Mr. Coventry left an annotation ()

Dear Mr Dix,
My wife and I (67) have had Freedom passes for over 6 years each.
However, I still drive, we walk to shops and we have so far barely used our FP ! Maybe a dozen times a year! The same applies to other pensioners we know! But in the future, we will appreciate the "freedom"
This is a brilliant scheme for pensioners on basic pensions who have contributed for 40 plus years. It has been set up by enlightened public servants and we should appreciate their endeavour and not break up the scheme or diminish the benefits, ie the resulting extra
revenue to public transport! Which is much needed!
Sebhel

John Dix left an annotation ()

Hi Mr Coventry,
Like you I know a number of elderly people with a freedom pass but they aren't making 300 bus journeys a year which, according to this response, is the average number each Freedom Pass holder is making. It seems very strange.