A family is battling to save their autistic son’s bus pass after they were told he was no longer eligible for one. 

Oliver Harta, 20, from Pinner was told his Freedom Pass, which entitles him to use public transport across London for free, was being revoked.

This is despite him being issued a pass that was initially valid until 2026. In a letter, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Harrow Council said Oliver’s disability no longer qualified him for a Freedom Pass. 

This was despite his parents, Nik and Sheryl, supplying evidence which shows he has learning difficulties. Oliver also uses a specialist bus service to take him to work experience, which is run by the council. 

Sheryl said the council is insisting that she provides a letter from the NHS which explicitly outlines Oliver’s condition. She argued the council should not be making things even more difficult for her family and suggested going down the medical route would be “a waste of a doctor’s time” when they have “much more important things to deal with”.

Sheryl said: “My son is almost 21 and he’s studying entry level maths and English. He doesn’t have any GCSEs, he attends a specialist college. It’s quite obvious that his autism impairs his social interaction. I really don’t understand it and it’s quite upsetting for us. How can the council just move the goalposts and say ‘having autism isn’t enough’ anymore?”

She explained how she told Oliver that he might have to use a bank card to travel on the bus, which he was confused about as it was a break from his regular routine.  Sheryl said: “It caused quite a stir and got him into a bit of a fluster as it’s something he’s not used to. He just kept asking ‘why?’ and saying ‘I’ve never had to do that before’.”

Sheryl has been in contact with the council, who put her in touch with a private company that manages the Freedom Pass applications in Harrow. She said the people making these decisions are not aware of the specific circumstances that affect each applicant and she thinks they are using a one size fits all checklist. 

She added: “I’ve submitted loads of information, including his education and health care plan but they don’t want to know. They say we’ve got to have this specific piece of paper and getting hold of that could take up to a year – it’s wasting precious time. It’s an absolute nonsense.”

Sheryl said the council is making things more difficult for her family in a situation where, if anything, they should be given more support. She said: “It’s really obstructive. It’s not the easiest thing having a child with learning difficulties and then we have to go through things like this. 

“Oliver can’t travel on his own so we have to pay to go with him. Now they’re asking us to pay on top of that. When you go to the cinema, they accept a carer card so somebody can go with him for free. I don’t know what’s different with Harrow Council.”

Harrow Council explained guidelines are set by the independent assessor, which determines who is eligible for a Freedom Pass based on types of disability. 

A council spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on individual cases.

Concessions are reviewed every three years to ensure the applicant continues to meet the criteria. As per the national guidelines, we can only go by what we are sent by the independent assessor. Applicants have a right to appeal this decision.”