Expanded London ULEZ draws over £90 million in eight months
The zone was expanded in 2021 to cover most of the area inside the North and South Circular roads
The zone generated £93.6m from 1.9 million journeys a month between November 2021 and June 2022
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone has brought in almost £100 million for Transport for London in less than a year since it was expanded.
Initially set up to cover London’s congestion zone, ULEZ was expanded in October 2021 to include the whole area inside the North and South Circular roads.
According to TfL figures, the expansion has generated £93.6m of revenue just from non-compliant vehicles paying £12.50 a day to enter the zone.
From November 2021 to June 2022, an average of 1.9 million journeys were made into the zone each month, which brought in £112.5m from drivers of vehicles that did not conform to Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel standards.
The overall figure dropped to £93.6m as some vehicles, such as cars built over 40 years ago, wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles, community minibuses and taxis, are exempt from the charge.
The figure also does not include income from penalty charge notices (PCN) for drivers who did not pay their fines, which can amount to £80 if paid within 14 days, or £160 otherwise.
Since the expansion, around 1.6 million PCNs have been issued, which the RAC estimates are worth between £130m and £261m.
The RAC says many drivers have been left unable to pay the daily charge because of the growing cost of living, and raised concern about the potential further expansion of the ULEZ, which is planned to take place next year.
“The expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in 2021 meant a far larger geographical area was covered by the mayor’s strict vehicle emissions standards,” said Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy at the RAC.
“For many, this meant a very stark choice: either replace their vehicle with a compliant model or face paying the £12.50 daily charge. Failing to pay the charge wasn’t an option either as it would result in a hefty penalty charge notice.”
The proposed further expansion of the zone, which would come into effect on 29 August 2023, is currently in its consultation stage.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s plans would expand the zone to cover most of the area inside the M25 - as far west as Longford, north as Waltham Cross, east as North Ockendon and south as Biggin Hill.
“While we accept that action is needed to reduce toxic emissions from vehicles, the cost of living crisis is hurting drivers in the pocket and there is a risk that further enlarging the zone will be hugely costly for those with older vehicles who can least afford to change them for something newer,” said Lyes.
“As it is, RAC research suggests drivers are holding on to their vehicles for longer, so there is a real risk that more people with non-compliant vehicles will be forced to pay a charge they can ill afford to. We would encourage the mayor to take a pragmatic approach and redouble his efforts to support lower-income families and businesses with non-compliant vehicles with a targeted scrappage scheme ahead of any expansion plans.”