For those of you who don’t spend your evenings obsessing over TfL PDFs (guilty as charged), here’s the short version. TfL is reviewing the 60+ Oyster card scheme, probably to slap some age restrictions or income caps on it. Right now, anyone who lives in London and turns 60 can get unlimited free bus and tram travel, plus discounted tube fares. It’s not a charity—it’s a policy meant to keep older people active, social, and out of their lonely flats.
But here’s the kicker: TfL says the scheme costs about £200 million a year, and with ridership still wobbling post-pandemic, they’re looking for savings. I get it—money doesn’t grow on London plane trees. But cutting this card feels like taking away the one free perk that makes aging in a city like London even slightly tolerable. You know, besides the free bus when it’s raining sideways.
