“Cleaning up London’s taxi fleet will play a significant part in our toxic air battle… It is important we financially support drivers to help them retire their oldest vehicles & upgrade to greener models” London Mayor Sadiq Khan
Clean & green – what Ultra-Low Emission Zone means for your vehicle
Pollution is a major cause of concern for the citizens of London, which is why Mayor Sadiq Khan is striving hard to keep the capital clean Naturally, this means there’s an initiative to make taxi & private hire fleets greener. But what does it mean to be green?
Taxis
Taxis contribute towards 16% of the nitrogen oxide in London’s air, and 26% particulate matter (PM) emissions from road transport in central London (particulate matter is the combination of hazardous particles in the air).
In a move to help clamp down on this problem, new diesel taxis will not be licensed from January 1st, 2018, & any taxis seeking their first license are required to be Zero Emission Capable (ZEC) – meaning the following:
• The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions cannot be more than 50g/km
• Their zero-emission range is a minimum of 30 miles
The age limit for taxis will remain at a maximum of 15 years.
Help with funding
In conjunction with Transport for London, the Mayor has launched the taxi delicensing scheme. This initiative consists of a £42m fund to encourage owners of the old, pollution heavy diesel black cabs to switch to newer, cleaner models. The long-term goal is to have London’s entire road system to be at a zero-emission level by 2050.
The three-year scheme wants to tackle air pollution & make the taxi fleet greener, & will run until 31st December 2020, subject to funding. More information will be available in future issues of OnRoute.
To apply for the scheme, you must:
• Own a TfL-licensed taxi between 10 & 15-years of age
• Be listed as the owner of the licensed taxi in the V5 log book registered on TfL’s records
• Have a current MOT & your taxi must be in roadworthy state
Go to www.tfl.gov.uk/taxi-delicensing for more details
Private Car Hire
The ULEZ is set to be introduced in London next April – 17 months earlier than was first proposed. All PH vehicles will be required to meet specific exhaust emission standards or pay an additional daily charge of £12.50 when travelling in the zone.
• Petrol cars, vans & minibuses must be Euro 4
• Diesel cars, vans & minibuses must be Euro 6
• A ZEC vehicle is defined as having a zero-emission range of at least 20 miles & must produce less than 75g/km CO2.
Car-Scrapping Schemes
Many car manufacturers have scrapping schemes in place, whereby owners can get rid of an old/dirty vehicle, the cost is reimbursed towards a newer, cleaner model. The following companies employ such a system:
• Ford (Cars and vans registered before Jan 2010)
• Toyota (Cars more than 7 years old)
• Volkswagen (Any diesel vehicle with emissions standards lower than Euro 5, and registered before 2010
All schemes run until 31 December 2017.
Future Timeline
• 1 January 2018 – 31 December 2019
All PHVs licensed for the first time must have a Euro 6 petrol or diesel engine, or a Euro 4 petrol-hybrid engine.
• January 2020 –31 December 2022
PHVs under 18-months-old being licensed for the first time will have to be ZEC. Older PHVs must have a Euro 6 engine with a first-time license.
• From 1 January 2023
All PHVs of any age will need to be ZEC when licensed for the first time.
