Freedom PASS valid on National Rail ?

mikegahan

Dear Friends
I rarely post, but this time I ( and my widowed mother) need your advice. She has a Freedom Pass. I think that is what it is. It used to confer free bus and other public transport travel in the London area, and was issued by Greenwich Council. Now apparently it can be used for national travel, she says. She want to go to Dymchurch(why?) and thinks that she can use this on the overground trains - Network South East - to travel free? Is she correct in thinking this? Many thanks for your help.

Edinburghlass_2

You can read about the Freedom Pass here which is only applicable to London and I'm guessing you would need to ask them what the outer limits are.

http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=1576&page_id=4528384&query=freedom+pass&hiword=FREEDOMS+PASSABLE+PASSED+PASSES+PASSING+PASSION+PASSY+freedom+pass+

The new bus pass in England from April 2008 does allow travel across England.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Over50s/TravelAndLeisure/TravellingAtHomeAndAbroad/DG_10026845

Merrywidow

Dear Mike

There is a special thread with buckets of advice on the free bus pass which I have been following. Click on my name, check out my other threads and choose the "Have free bus pass will travel" its all on there. A short answer would be that no, she cannot travel on S.East trains with the freedom pass.

EdInvestor

If she buys a Senior railcard (25 quid IIRC) she will get a 30% reduction on train tickets but may not be worth it for one trip.

Dymchurch is not very easy to get to - there are buses from Hastings and Folkestone which would be free.

chesky369

She can use it to travel free on southern rail and other rail companies from 9.30am - but it will only take her as far as zone 6. From wherever zone 6 takes her on her chosen route to Dymchurch, she has to pay full fare, unless she's already purchased a senior railcard.

mikegahan

Dear Friends

Mumsy says thank you all for your prompt and helpful advice!

Mrs_pbradley936

chesky369 wrote: »

She can use it to travel free on southern rail and other rail companies from 9.30am - but it will only take her as far as zone 6. From wherever zone 6 takes her on her chosen route to Dymchurch, she has to pay full fare, unless she's already purchased a senior railcard.

Yes that is quite right. I know that because my mother has one and if she goes to Lakeside (a large shopping centre in Essex) she has to pay the difference between where her card/pass takes her and the rest of the journey.