London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) will be extended to cover the entire capital later this year, in order to drastically cut pollution in the city.
This means tradespeople face the prospect of a £12.50 daily charge if the vehicle doesn’t comply with the emissions standards. With a shortage of vans that comply with the ULEZ regulations, tradespeople are worrying about the extra charges they might face.
Daren Jasper, Head of Commercial Vehicles at Select Van Leasing, believes that whilst ULEZs are a step in the right direction in terms of lowering CO2 emissions, the strain on tradespeople in the capital must be considered in the decision to extend them.
“The implementation of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) has had a significant impact on tradesmen, as they are now required to pay high fees for driving their vehicles within the designated zones. This fee can cost up to £12.50 per day.
“In August, the ULEZ will extend to cover all London boroughs, making it 18 times larger than it is currently. This will potentially be a financial burden on many small businesses and independent tradespeople who rely on vehicles to perform their work.
“The vehicles that are eligible to operate without cost in ULEZs are electric vehicles, or diesel vehicles that are Euro 6 standard, which generally covers those registered from 2016 onwards.
“A report commissioned by Transport for London has estimated that 30,000 non-compliant vehicles pass through the ULEZ each day, whilst figures from AutoTrader show there are just 5,181 compliant vehicles for sale across London and the South East of England on its marketplace. Its total for the entire UK is 23,803.
“The shortage of complying vehicles for London’s ULEZ is a significant concern as it limits the effectiveness of the initiative in reducing air pollution and improving air quality.
“The lack of availability of compliant vehicles is a result of several factors, including a lack of consumer awareness, limited manufacturing capacity, and high costs associated with purchasing or retrofitting vehicles to meet the ULEZ standards.
“To address this shortage, it’s important for manufacturers to increase their production of compliant vehicles and for the government to provide incentives for consumers to purchase these vehicles.
“It’s important to note that the ULEZ initiative is part of a larger effort to reduce air pollution and improve air quality in London. Electric vehicles are considered as the way forward in this initiative and it’s important to consider the long-term benefits of reducing emissions and improving air quality for the overall health of London’s population.
“While the immediate cost to tradespeople may be significant, it’s important to also consider the potential long-term benefits and to work towards finding solutions such as grants or subsidies to help small businesses transition to electric vehicles.”
