Freedom Pass trio ride 381st bus

15 August 2012 Last updated at 01:01 ET By Josephine McDermott BBC News, London

A Freedom Pass entitles Londoners to free travel from the age of 62. But few exploit the potential of free travel across the entire capital, from Hillingdon to Havering, Barnet to Bromley, quite like three retired ladies.

They have set themselves the challenge of travelling on every bus route in London from end to end and blogging about it in numerical order.

Later, the self-styled "ladies who bus", Jo Hunt, 68, from Camden, north London, Mary Rees, 68, from Peckham, south London, and Linda Smither, 65, from Forest Hill, south-east London, will take the 381 bus which passes the Freedom Pass office.

They started their challenge in March 2009 and aim to complete every journey up to the number 549, plus the 600 routes which are not school buses.

Mrs Hunt, a former History teacher at Watford Girls' School, said: "It was probably my idea. I'm not a Londoner like the other two and I was completely gobsmacked how far the buses go.

"It's amazing how lovely they are."

She said she had long been intrigued by destinations such as Creekmouth and Ponders End and the question: "What would happen if you didn't get off the bus?"

But she added: "We could still be doing this on our zimmer frames."

Before they retired Mrs Smither, Mrs Hunt's sister-in-law, was a social worker in Wandsworth and Lewisham and Mrs Rees, Mrs Hunt's cousin, was a doctor in Lambeth.

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Freedom Pass trio ride 381st bus