What was claimed
Asylum seekers are being given Freedom Passes for free or discounted London travel.
Our verdict
Asylum seekers can only apply for a Freedom Pass if they meet the criteria around age and disability which applies to all London residents. There is no special provision for asylum seekers.
We’ve spotted posts on Facebook and X claiming that asylum seekers are getting Freedom Passes for “cost-free travel across London”, while “natives are paying to maintain the system via ever-increasing fares”.
While asylum seekers in London can apply for a Freedom Pass, they are only eligible if they meet the same criteria around age and disability that apply to all London residents. They do not get free travel simply because they are asylum seekers.
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Freedom passes give card holders free or discounted travel on a range of public transport services in London, including some National Rail services.
There are two types: the Disabled Person’s Freedom Pass and the Older Person’s Freedom Pass, both of which require the pass-holder to be a London resident. They are funded by London borough councils who reimburse Transport for London (TfL), who administer the scheme.
Applicants for both passes have to prove their sole or principal address is in London, meaning they “live there most of the time”. Applicants do not have to prove nationality or immigration status.
A spokesperson for London Councils, which oversees the scheme, told Full Fact: “The same Freedom Pass eligibility rules apply to everyone in London—there is no special provision for asylum seekers.
“Only London residents that are eligible by age or disability status receive Freedom Passes.”
London residents who can prove they have certain disabilities, such as those who are severely or profoundly deaf, have a learning disability, or are partially sighted, are automatically eligible for a Disabled Person’s Freedom Pass. Some London councils also give discretionary passes to disabled people who don’t meet the statutory eligibility criteria.
Residents in the capital who are over the age of 66 are eligible for an Older Person’s Freedom Pass. While a Disabled Person’s Freedom Pass allows free travel on TfL services at all times, an Older Person’s Freedom Pass excludes the period between 4.30am and 9.00am (both passes exclude the period until 9.30am for the National Rail services they include), Monday to Fridays, but gives free travel at all other times.
The spokesperson added that they do not collect data on the asylum or immigration status of Freedom Pass holders, so do not know how many asylum seekers have obtained the travel concession by meeting both the London residency criteria and/or the age and disability criteria.
Some campaigners have called for asylum seekers to be given free transport cards for travel within London zones 1-6, but this has not been implemented. There has been at least one pilot and some proposals for schemes to provide free public transport for asylum seekers elsewhere in the UK.
We often see posts sharing claims about what asylum seekers are entitled to receive. Our explainer on asylum support takes a look at the most common claims.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as missing context because asylum seekers do not get Freedom Passes purely on the basis of being an asylum seeker, they are only eligible if they meet the same criteria around residence, age and disability applicable to all Londoners.
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