John Ray wrote:

In practice they're not chucked off, so many do travel to Bluewater for
free even though they're not supposed to! They have to pay to get back,
of course.


Is the reduction of validity of Freedom Passes, i.e. beyond the Greater
London boundary, a new thing? Since you (I think it was you) raised it
earlier in the thread, I have looked at the current bus maps and there
is indeed a rather vague note to that effect, which I had not noticed
before. I ask because, within the last two months, I have travelled from
Dartford to Bluewater and back on route 96, using a Freedom Pass,
presuming the journey to be "legal", and was not asked to pay a fare;
indeed, nothing was said by the drivers. I have also travelled to
Potters Bar on a 313 and back on an 84, again without challenge.

No, and your experience suggests that my information could be obsolete.

I have seen drivers on the 96 at Bluewater charging freedom pass holders
(who expected it to be free) a fare at Bluewater, but that was over a
year ago (probably nearer two).

Aidan Stanger wrote:

John Ray wrote:

Is the reduction of validity of Freedom Passes, i.e. beyond the Greater
London boundary, a new thing? Since you (I think it was you) raised it
earlier in the thread, I have looked at the current bus maps and there
is indeed a rather vague note to that effect, which I had not noticed
before. I ask because, within the last two months, I have travelled from
Dartford to Bluewater and back on route 96, using a Freedom Pass,
presuming the journey to be "legal", and was not asked to pay a fare;
indeed, nothing was said by the drivers. I have also travelled to
Potters Bar on a 313 and back on an 84, again without challenge.

No, and your experience suggests that my information could be obsolete.

I have seen drivers on the 96 at Bluewater charging freedom pass holders
(who expected it to be free) a fare at Bluewater, but that was over a
year ago (probably nearer two).

Your information is, in fact, correct, and I was lucky not to be asked
to pay. It's clear from the LT document to which Paul Corfield directed
me that Freedom Passes are not valid for free travel between Dartford
and Bluewater. However, my trips to and from Potters Bar were within the
rules. It's clear that a Freedom Pass does not have quite the same
validity as a Z1-6 bus pass; I will have to be more careful in future!

--
John Ray, London UK.