The “free” bus pass in England[1] hasn’t been issued to someone aged 60+ for a while now; it was increased in line with the state pension age, so the youngest someone with such a bus pass would be would be 66.

There are also free passes issued to someone of any age for those with certain disabilities, but it’s hard to imagine someone meeting the required standard and being a pilot.

Given that someone above said pilots must retire at 65, and the fact that the RailAir website says they do not accept ENCTS passes, I suspect that the person maybe had a different pass.

[1] Residents of Greater London can get a 60+ pass but this is not valid on non-London bus routes.