Livingstone outlines travel pledge

Ken Livingstone has said the over-60s will get free public transport around the clock should he be re-elected in May.

Outlining his first manifesto pledge on Tuesday ahead of this year's London mayoral election, Livingstone promised that within the first 12 months of his next term, the Freedom Pass would operate 24 hours a day on buses, rail services, tubes and trams.

At present, more than one million Londoners are eligible for a Freedom Pass which entitles the over-60s and the disabled to free travel across the capital.

However, the pass is not valid between the hours of 4.30am and 9.00am, prompting the current mayor to make the pledge.

Livingstone said: "Everyone should be able to take part in London's success. Four-out-of-five Londoners over the age of 60 are retired but they regularly tell me that because of appointments, trips and other issues they need to travel before 9.00am.

"Extending the operating hours of the Freedom Pass across the whole day will give these Londoners 24-hour flexibility to travel free with the Freedom Pass."

The roll-out of the initiative would cost an estimated £20m but Livingstone claimed that no increase in fares would be needed to finance the move due to Transport for London's revenue growth.

And he added that "this policy is part of my central goal of ensuring that London's public transport system is reliable and open to every Londoner".

However, the Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate, Brian Paddick, was sceptical of the pledge, stating that: "Londoners should be wary of a mayor who announces this concession now, after eight years in power. I guarantee to keep the Freedom Pass, even if I have to take over the funding for it myself, as mayor.

"To try to force more people into overcrowded trains is nonsense. The tube and rail network is overrun at peak times. Most pensioners can get to their local GP or hospital by bus and I have no objection allowing bus travel before 9am.

"But to have pensioners going shopping or visiting museums at times when they will be fighting commuters for space on trains, does not make sense."