The Mayor of London is proposing that London becomes an Ultra-Low Emission Zone – whereby older petrol and diesel vehicles will incur a £12.50 charge for driving through it, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Sadiq Khan hopes to have the ULEZ in effect from April 2019, beginning within the congestion charge zone. By 2021, the Mayor hopes have the ULEZ will have expanded to an area 20 times as big, reaching the A406 and the A205.
These changes are expected to affect an estimated 100,000 cars, 35,000 vans and 3,000 lorries a day. Petrol vehicles that don’t meet Euro 4 standards, or Euro 6 standards for diesel vehicles, will have to pay a ULEZ daily fee (£12.50 for cars, vans and motorbikes; between £100 and £300 for buses, coaches and HGVs) to drive in the zone. Failure to pay will incur fines between £130 and £1,000.
The Reason For All of This? The Health of all London Citizens:
The Mayor is determined to protect Londoners from the damaging health impacts of air pollution, having doubled funding spent tackling air quality to £875 million over the next five years.
Mr Khan said: “I refuse to stand back as thousands of Londoners breathe in air so filthy that it shortens our life expectancy, harms our lungs and worsens chronic illness.”
The expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone is predicted to reduce nitrous oxide gases by 28 per cent and result in 100,000 fewer Londoners living in areas with air that breaches legal limits
What do the Experts Say?
“Extending the Ultra-Low Emission Zone to most of London is a radical step but we need to ensure that low-income families and small businesses that have bought diesel vehicles in good faith, and tend to keep them longer, are not penalised.”
Edmund King, president of the AA
‘The Mayor of London is to be congratulated in bringing forward the date of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone. Reducing diesel emissions in the congestion charge zone will reduce exposure to toxic soot particles and gases. To maximise the effectiveness of this initiative, the Government must now act to remove the current toxic fleet of diesel cars, vans and buses from all our roads’
Jonathan Grigg, Professor of Paediatric and Environmental Medicine, Queen Mary University of London
So How Will This Affect You as a Private Hire Driver?
The good news is that Pace Car Hire provide models which are not only new but are of the highest standards in technology – meaning, you shouldn’t be impacted by these changes as the cars we rent are more environmentally friendly and work with the Ultra-Low Emission Zone proposal – not against it.
And if you haven’t yet decided to rent with us, why don’t you check our fleet selection? There’s a car for everyone and we’ll be available on site and by phone to handle all queries and concerns.
