00:00Free travel for older Londoners could soon face changes after London Council's announced plans to review the older person's Freedom Pass.
00:11The organisation, which represents all 32 London boroughs, as well as the City of London, says rising costs are putting increasing pressure on council budgets.
00:24While no decisions have been made yet, one proposal under discussion would restrict free travel for over 66s to buses only.
00:35If introduced, this change could save councils more than £100 million each year.
00:41Now, currently, the Freedom Pass offers free access to a wide range of transport services, including buses, the Tube, trams, DLR, London Overground, the Elizabeth Line and most national rail services across the capital as well.
00:58However, the cost of running the Freedom Pass has climbed sharply in recent years.
01:04This council spending is expected to rise by nearly 12% next financial year, increasing from around £330 million to approximately £372 million in 26 to 27.
01:19Papers from a December meeting of London Council's Transport and Environment Committee have revealed that limiting the pass to bus-only travel would reduce annual costs to about £224 million.
01:34So, at the moment, older Londoners can have free access to transport.
01:38When it comes to the London Underground, though, which line the Londoners love the most?
01:43Yeah, sure. So, my favourite line is the Hammersmith and City line because it is massively convenient because I live right next to one of their stations, which can get me into King's Cross and Victoria very easily.
01:55Least favourite part is that it's very busy most of the times.
02:00The most favourite part is potentially using newer lines.
02:05So, I think there's Elizabeth line that was quite decent, I think, but it's a little bit far away from here.
02:11But overall, I'm not a big fan of Underground.
02:15Yeah, I use the Elizabeth line to get into work when I go into the office nowadays.
02:21Love how quiet it is, love how clean it is, love that it's fresh and new and lovely and a little bit futuristic.
02:28Yeah, I would love to see some upgrades to other lines.
02:31I mean, there's certain lines that I avoid at all costs.
02:33If I had to say anything I didn't like about the Underground, it's probably more to do with the summer and being moderately cooked on the way to work in peak summer.
02:44But yeah, that would be my opinion on the tube.
02:46The London Underground is world leading in terms of the design and its ability to get people around, so many people around such a large city.
02:56So, I think let's continue being world leading.
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