to ask about free bus travel

[LoveSoftAsAnEasyChair]

Hi, I am over the age where I can apply for an exemption card for bus travel.

I have read about people traveling all day using the card to get to faraway cities for no charge.

I was wondering if I can use the card to get from my home town to London Heathrow (and back again after my air travel) airport.
OR
If there’s a dedicated bus service to that airport, would I be able to use the card?

ideally my partner or friend or relative would drive me, but none of those choices are available to me.

Yes I know it would be a challenge for a woman in her seventies with 23k & 10k cases to lug, but hopefully they will have wheels, and I consider myself to be a “tough old bird”.

I hope I’m not considered to be a CF to be asking this question.

Each service is different. Google the bus route number and company.

Im not sure if airport buses are covered by the free bus scheme.

My parents have used their pensioners bus passes for free travel in Kent, Isle of Wight and Hereford areas

It depends where your town is, and what the bus service is. Also whether it and any connecting bus services run at a time to suit you after your flight.

Depending where you live it could take you ages to get to Heathrow by various local buses.

Say you live in Oxford - your local pass would take you to its boundaries, then you'd have to change to another area's system, and so on, until you get to Heathrow.

Might be better to check out coach travel from your home town, direct to Heathrow - coaches are generally quite a cheap way to travel.

For everything within London call the number here for accessibility support: Passenger Assist - Transport for London share.google/zDjmK0ochXeNctxBu .Depending on your route, you might be able to get help getting bags on and off the bus. If not then ask other passengers, worst they can say is no!

If you have a Freedom Pass, you can indeed use it on any bus in the UK.

Freedom passes are England only not UK and for public buses. Not sure a bus to the airport is a public bus or a private coach you pay for.

Do you mean the older persons bus pass, you can use it anywhere in England but only after 9:30 in the morning on weekdays, I have used mine on holiday. You just get the bus as normal and show your card and go wherever the bus goes. I think there are different ones for Scotland and Wales. Depending where you live and the bus services to the airport you could use it but not if your journey starts before 9:30 on a weekday

As you are eligible anyway for a bus pass I would apply for one anyway, it's only charged to the council when you use it so you are not wasting anything, you can either get it online or the local library depending on your council.

Depends where you live, I use national express for the airport as it’s far easier than the train, direct to Heathrow, driver loads your luggage. This isn’t covered by the bus passes

I would probably pay and use National Express, the buses often don't go direct to places as they need to pick up in all towns en route so take ages

There are red buses that go to the airport. that’s what you need. If you use the TFL ap and tell it where you will be starting from in London it will give you the bus route to take.

There's lots of buses local to me that don't take freedom passes, the rail to air bus is one of them, also the park & ride services & seasonal services.

Not sure what a Freedom Pass is, but my South Yorkshire concessionary pensioner's pass is not accepted in London, though I have found it accepted everywhere else so far. The best one was a bus over the moors from Whitby to Scarborough with a tour commentary included!

If your Yorkshire pass is given at State pension age then it should have been accepted on London busses.

The Whitby to Scarborough journey sounds nice! How long does it take?

I'm not an expert, but yeah that should have been accepted. Pretty sure my parents' London ones were accepted in Yorkshire...

My older person's concessionary bus pass was issued in Lancashire. I use it on London Transport buses regularly with no issues. I just show it to the driver when I get on.
OP if you enter your route from home to the airport into Google maps you will see the bus services you need. There will be link to the bus service provider so you can check the timetable.
If possible you might be as well travelling at less busy times as it would be easier to get your luggage on and off the bus.

You can use London buses but not tubes. There is no freedom pass outside of London, its buses only and at state pension age currently 66. Yes we are always treated worse! Then my local council has the cheek to complain we all drive everywhere, we wouldn’t if there were frequent affordable convenient buses - to get to work I have to order my pick up the day before and often it’s simply not available unless I log in at 8am

Well, of course they were, because we're generous like that!! But not reciprocal.....

The freedom pass is the London version of the pensioners bus pass, but starts at 60. My Northamptonshire bus pass is valid in London on local buses it appears. I would be useful though to know OP's area for us to help more though.

London ones are accepted in the rest of England but only from age 66 or 67, whatever it is now.

It kind of depends whether you live in Slough or Berwick-upon-Tweed OP....

(I mean, I think you could get from Berwick- upon- Tweed to Heathrow on a pensioner's bus pass, but it would probably take a week)

Don't want to nick-pick but the Freedom Pass is what we get in London at State pension age; the one we get at 60 in London is the 60 Plus pass, which is not valid outside London.

Oh no that's fine, sorry.

I've used my South Yorkshire issued pass on buses in London, Manchester, and other areas in England. Not valid on the Tube or other public transport. But someone coming to SY could only use their pass on the buses not the tram.

The OP posted a month ago and didn't return to the thread - she's probably still on the bus trying to get to Heathrow!