Since the introduction of the new Ultra-Low Emission Zone on April 8th, Transport for London has raked in around £26m in levies and penalty charges. That’s approximately £198,473 each day.
We shouldn’t forget that the figure is on top of the regular congestion charge (£250m raised 2016/17), and the fact that just 28 employees of Transport for London earned just under £7m between them for the year 2016/17, according to the TfL Annual Report & Statement.
At nearly £900,000 / day in revenue, you’d have thought that TfL would be a little more forgiving when it comes to enforcing their strict 7-day doubling of the penalty fine for missing a ULEZ payment; the £12.50 charge automatically raises to £80 after the deadline of payment is missed (within a day or two of the infringement), which doubles to £160 if the penalty charge isn’t paid within seven days.
ULEZ charges
The ultra-low emission zone charge is payable 365 days of the year, 24-hours a day, and the charge doesn’t cover anything more than for the day – arrive at 23.59hrs and leave at 00.01, you’ll pay twice.
Around one in four motorists that are liable for the charge have been fined so far, with many complaining of lack of clear signage or a misunderstanding of the whole situation; how to pay, where they pay, what area it covers – 130,000 motorists have been hit with a fine since April.
Which also leads to an issue over non-authority websites offering to take payments for the charge, and charging a further £7.49 for the pleasure – the total fee, including ‘processing fees’ comes to £19.99. It seems as though it isn’t just Transport for London that want their fat slice of the pie.
Taking advantage
Of course there is the argument that London has some of the best public transport networks available, certainly within the UK, so in theory, there’s little need for personal transportation if you’re going about your daily business within the city.
And yet, 28% of Londoners live in poverty, that’s six percentage points above the national average, and if you look at inner London, that figures rises to 32%. For many Londoners, owning a car is an essential lifestyle necessity, not a luxury.
In a recent study by Deutsche Bank, London was ranked as having the most expensive public transport in the world, which leaves millions of Londoners relying on their own car for transportation, and yet they’re being penalised for the privilege. It would seem that there are very few options, other than to walk everywhere.
Maximising profits
Ask yourself, if car insurance wasn’t a legal requirement, would it still be so expensive? You can guarantee that the market would change significantly, as competing providers made deals and offered more for the money, all in a bid to win your business.
It’s the same for the ultra-low emission zones – if you positively need to enter the zone, you have to pay the price, and while some may say that £12.50 per day is a small price to pay, I’d argue that it’s a family meal for some, and with no viable alternative transport, families are going without.
Also, we shouldn’t forget that the Congestion Charge (when first introduced) was such a horrifying idea that even Westminster Council, with the backing of Kensington and Chelsea borough council tried to block it. Now, we happily await for the next charge to come along, and accept it with nothing more than a minor grumble. It’s also worth pointing out that the charge has more than doubled since the introduction.
Air pollution
Air pollution is a very real thing, no one (least of all, me) is denying that. But it seems as though Transport for London want their cake and to eat it too; the world’s most expensive public transport, and charging you to enter the city in certain vehicles.
As we reported last week, electric buses account for just 2.6% of the TfL fleet, so they’re not exactly leading by example, and the issue isn’t about changing private vehicle usage, it’s more about incentivising rather than penalising.
You want polluting cars to stop entering the city? Give them discounted public transport. Stop looking at the bottom line of the bank balance, and start thinking about genuine ways to improve transport networks that benefit more than the few.
Use some of that £900,000 per day revenue to subsidise the networks, to offer something viable, that isn’t going to take food out of the mouths of the poorest in our society. Give them the option to give up their car, not force them further into poverty.
Repeat after me: I Am NOT A SLAVE
Now keep repeating to convince yourself you are not a slave, when in fact you are!
Or repeat : I can get out of my car and use public transport, which is cheaper and the whole object of the exercise.
If you read the article, you will know that TfL is the world’s most expensive public transport! They also only have 3% of their bus fleet electric, so noisy of their bosses are poor on emissions too! TfL are operation a greedy scam… penalising the poor… to line their own pockets. Just read the article again!
At 3 a.m. ? I often worked until that time & had to get home from central London to the Essex/ Herts border. I eventually retired mainly because it was impossible to park anywhere near a railway station. & I was penalised if I drove to work.
Very rarely is public transport cheaper than driving, particularly if entering London from any distance outside. It’s also often much slower. If more than one person’s using a car public transport can NEVER complete.
Wait till he brings it out to the North and South Circular roads next year It will hit the poorest the hardest again.
Can you add the details on how people check if their vehicle is okay to go into London?
Just found this http://www.ulezchecker.com
Just tried that site told me my Registration was wrong. Try this one. https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle-35896
I wouldn’t believe either site. I’ve just put the reg of my 17 year old petrol Ford Focus into both, one says ‘No ULEZ charge due for this vehicle’ whilst the other says ‘YES, your vehicle is ULEZ compliant’. So why do I pay over £250 a year in VED which is allegedly based on emissions?
They are both saying the same thing; ULEZ compliant = no charge.
Euro 5 Petrol, Euro 6 diesel or Electric allowed. Or if you’re a black cab you can just drive whatever the heck you want as long as it’s not over 15 years old, so lots of stinking cabs to choose from still. The buses in Zone 1 are meant to be Euro 6 compliant, but the jury is out on whether they are.
If you have a BEV you still have to register and pay, I believe £10 annual registration fee.
If you live in London you have free public transport, bus and underground. Why would you need a car?
Free???
Have you tried carrying a van full of tools
My dad worked in London for over 30 years paying full price travel from zones 1 to 6 he lives in zone 6 he now retired he does not get free travel I find this outrageous. I also drove a van with tools every day into London for 20 years. I couldn’t afford to do it anymore so now changed trade as I can’t bear paying the government money I just about earned. This country has gone we are starting to show old days of rich and poor. Our government are the biggest thieves and nothing but think of there own pockets none of them are born in to the real world only with a silver spoon in there mouths. We should do what the French do and start protesting. But oh well I’m off the the toilet now to pay tax for having a wee.
If he’s over 60, has a London address he should get free travel
Is that what a bus load of people in London are called?
Where is thd f*** free public transport in London? Are we talking about the sam city?
Er, because I wouldn’t want to travel wit( the general public.
Because your allergic to sardine can!!
Where do you get this notion it’s free?
Nothing is free in the world.
It’s not free buddy
On a Sunday It actually costs more for a family to use public transport than take a car(free parking on Sunday’s)
Only for children and those old enough to buy a Freedom pass, and there are time restrictions to consider.
what about all the workers and visitors to people who live in the capital and all those who have goods to transport there are a lot of people affected such a narrow view you have
Only if you’re 60+
SOME DISABLED PEOPLE CANNOT USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT DUE TO THEIR DISABILITY-WHAT ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO DO?
Harry – in my experience anyone with that level of disability (physical) has access to transportation funding. There are also charities and other organisations that offer minibus services. If they really must run their own vehicle; if it is ulez compliant they don’t pay. In addition, according to Mobility.co.uk if the vehicle has a tax class of ‘disabled’ or ‘disabled passenger vehicle’ it is exempt.
If none of the above apply or are unavailable they have to pay like everyone else. That’s an example of equality that they’ve been calling for for years.
You seem anti TFL. You. Criticise London for only 2.6% of its bus fleet being electric. You do not mention that London has more electric buses than any City in the world outside of China. Buses have a long lifespan and London also have the legacy of the oddball Boris Bus. You would soon criticise TFL if they wanted to replace their entire bus fleet. tomorrow. This could all have been started by BoJo so it is a game of catch up. The infrastructure has to be in place, the LEZ will pay for the new cleaner electric bus fleet.
Why would I want to contribute to something I don’t like and would never use.
For the good of all and not just yourself
JP – could use that arguement for a lot of things – NHS, most of the benefits system, police (esp if you’re from the north east) to name a few.
no one would mind if TFL replaced all their busses with electric ones. The real question is whether TFL have actuallty ordered any electric busses or whether they have actually started building the infrastructure with the many millions they have accumulated since April (200,000 per week for 12 weeks is 2.4million, enough for a couple of busses at least…)
TfL’s bus fleet is already in the process of bringing their buses up to euro6 standard by retro fitting the buses exhaust systems with a kit manufactured in Britain by a british company(eminox), this process has been under way for some time and is also being done in other places all over the world with these kits being exported by that same british company, I do not work nor have any connection with this company but I do have family who have been doing this retro fitting, and it’s not only buse’s that are being done.
As I understand it, London is one of the largest cities in the world; therefore it has more busses. We should be comparing percentage of busses, not total numbers.
Dr prescription fee, parking charge, traffic fine, congestion charge, TV license for old age pensioners, ULEZ and many more are the new Tax on poor people, to let the rich getting a way.
You forgot to mention the 5% tax on all insurance policies. Even Dick Turpin didn’t go that far
Thankfully, I don’t live in, or near, London and would never go there unless my life depended on it – I hate the place. Used to go regularly in the 1980s when I was a motorcycle despatch rider, always tried to get in an out as fast as I could. For those unfortunate enough to live in such a dump, don’t drive and stick to public transport!
Surely, the poorest in society do not own and run a car? So much of the argument is irrelevant.
I’ve seen many a dole claimant turn up in a car.
And who says your dole claimant didnt buy their car whilst they were previously employed…? And does your dole claimant not have a better chance of getting another job if he can actually reach them?… if his fom of transport doesnt get affected by “drivers strikes” etc?
More dole collectors have cars than the average family, they can afford to, the amount they get each week. Thats why breeding before the 2 only rule was very effective in getting more, when all the benefits are taken into account. A job? They earn ten times more staying in bed.
Presumably you will give us reference sources to back up your claims. Or did your research consist of reading the Daily Mail. I suggest you spend a couple of weeks working for a Citizens Advice Beaureau to find out how far from the truth your comments are.
If we need to move towards cleaner air via ULEZ charges, the objective should really be to move towards Ultra Low Emission (ULE) vehicles. These current charges penalise the motorist TWICE- once for driving in a ULEZ and second in the increased costs of buying an Ultra Low Emission (ULE) vehicle.
To accelerate the introduction of ULE’s, motorists should be encouraged and helped: –
Get the DVLA to start an account for each non-ULE vehicle.
Every time a motorist enters the ULEZ the charge is put into the vehicle’s account.
The ULEZ charge then becomes a ‘savings bank’ for the purchase of ULE vehicles
When the motorist changes their vehicle they can redeem that money , using it only towards the cost of a ULE vehicle.
The charges then accelerate the introduction of ULE vehicles and is not just used as a huge local tax on the motorist.
It looks to me, with every thing that is going on in London, high rent, high transport costs and all the other charges they keep throwing in to the mix, that Khan is trying to keep London for the well off.
Where does all this revenue go? Surely it could help subsidise the public transport!
Keith – if you’d been to London then you’d realise that what you’ve said is not the case. London with its high rent, high transport costs etc also has higher average earnings.
Move all the businesses out of the London bubble London. make all cabs , buses and government cars electric or hydrogen problem solved.
Watch out folks soon this government will start charging you for the oxygen you breathe!!
Well said James 🙂
It’s not a government charge it’s a TFL charge. Blame Khan not the government.
the government passed legislation to allow TFL to create this charge though, otherwise it is illegal taxation
I was just thinking that 🤔
It’s not cars that cause the majority of symptoms
NHS list these problems, living at home. Bedding, carpets, pets , food we eat.
Then there’s the pollutants outside. The trees, grass, pollen from flowers February to November. Then the smoking, closely followed by perfume.
Next are the irritants from working ( see HSE )
Then we have DIESEL
Then we have petrochemicals ( including petrol)
So as you can see its TFL AND THE MAYOR OF LONDON screwing the drivers out of their hard earned money for the sake of making money without a very good reason.
In fact only approx 10% of asthma is caused by vehicular transport, and the actual reason for that high percentage is because the restrictions on lanes in roads, and the introduction of cycle superhighways
ULEZ will be extended to North and south circular if Sadig is reelected for Mayor of London next year. That will be disaster for Londoners.
well then its the voters in London that need to vote him OUT and get someone else in!
It’s the dross like Khan that voted for him in the first place.
I second that.
so – don’t vote for him – Simples!
Let me sum this country up, its no longer fit for purpose and before any one comes back at me i leave this country for good on the 9th of Sept .
Have you got a case big enough to fit me in it?
Air pollution wat a load of nonsense, just an extra tax simple as, the UK has one of the lowest air polluted countries in the world as it is, statistics prove that, global warming happens regardless of what humans do full stop, so stop using these ulez and caz as an excuse for more revenue, far more people die from premature deaths including, stabbings, road accidents, cancer anyway, bout time the governments just start to be honest and state we want more money, simple as that.
Just another reason why I would never go to London! Been there twice when I was a kid & that was enough! I’ll happily stay away from the overcrowded, overpriced rip-off capital! Give me Northern England any time of the day!!
I was born and raised in South London, joined the RAF and saw airfield and loads of green grass, trees and countryside and never went back. I tell people who ask that Dick Whittington lied, the streets of London are paved with dog muck and litter.
Many drivers will pay anything however much it costs just to be able to drive their tin box anywhere and everywhere they go .Fools or what??
Are TFL going to charge Heathrow airport for all the extra pollution the planned expansion is going to shower over London ? It’s almost a joke that Heathrow are talking about making the airport a ULEZ for people to pick up/drop off passengers.
What about all the people stinking up the air with their wood burning and non smokeless coal fires.
Control industrial pollution before punishing the public.
Fit gas filters to cows to prevent methane pollution or charge all farmers.
TFL seem to be a cash cow for the mayor of London so that he can spend money on politically motivated so called improvement schemes.
This confirms my suspicions that the ULEZ is just a money making scheme and in all honesty a blunt tool in the scheme of global warming. Another case of the wrong or insufficient effort with no joined up approach.
Loved the idea in the article of using congestion zone and ULEZ fees plus penalties to make public transport free in London.
No mention of cycling? Why? I know dozens of parents who take their kids to school in a bicycle trailer and are fitter for it. Sadly we have media telling us “cyclists are vermin”. As a car ( hybrid) owner driver AND cyclist as well as someone forced to breathe the filthy air in our city I am fed up Being told there are no alternatives. There are.
Simona from http://www.stopkillingcyclists.org
Yes you could move and live where the air is clear and the grass green. It’s called the countryside.
Please don’t inflict Londoners on the countryside! They complain that cockerels crow, manure smells and the street lights go out between 12:00 and 05:00. The silence is deafening and people you pass in the street want to stop and talk, instead of mug you. So the first thing they want to do, is change it all, so it is horrible like the city. But we like it it the way it is!
Is this not just a way if penalising the People. Horrible people saying yes it is okay to make people suffer. There seems to be a need to come up with the next way to tax people. This money goes into a great while and does not seem to benefit the people. They need to work for the people. Not, date I say, against them in some sort of dictatorship that can never be questioned . It’s done and what ever you the people say , it’s done.
During the 50s at its peak pollution in London, you could see it smell it and taste it, it stung your eyes, throughout London people were die like flies chocking on the pollution, the people of London demanded action which they got it and the clean air act came into force.
Since then the traffic quadrupled and more but this time you can’t see it you can’t taste, but you can smell it sometimes.
Cities need to do something to combat the pollution and charging is the start, 40,000 to 60,000 people are dying of respiratory problems per annum.
Buses and taxis are going electric to reduce pollution, one aspect of pollution is that ICE vehicle heat up the cites by or 2 degrees.
When the road marathon is on the pollution levels drop by 89%.
So let’s stop b***hing about the situation we are in and get behind the council and do something about it.
People have become chickens ,if we all say no we won’t pay ,workers run this country or they did remember poll tax ! Enough of Khan
It’s time to get rid of Khan, like Livingston he is hell bent on milking the motorist any way he can, let him first sort out the polluting buses and taxis and the non compliant public sector vehicles, police ambulance etc. If the ulez expansion to north and south circular comes in then hundreds of thousands of suburban motorists who do not go into central London will be dealt a huge blow and be left hugely out of pocket. Boris did one good thing as mayor by reversing Livingston’s congestion zone expansion, we need a mayor who will do the same and deal with the larger problems of London first before hitting the motorists.
Its just another money making scam for government anyway. Whoever bring in these things we should refuse to vote for them next time. They would learn eventualy that not all motorists are millionaires like them
Just checked the link out with my old 13 plate car and it said it was OK for the ULEZ, When I checked it out before the start of the ULEZ it had a private plate on it from 2010 and came back as not able to use the ULEZ without paying the charge. Same car different reg number, seems to me that the site only goes by the reg number and not the type of vehicle. Just checked the 10 plate out as it’s on retention and still shows it as requiring payment.
This country has become a big joke compared to how it use to be 10 -15 years ago.
Visit Manchester mate, then complain about public transport in London. I think you’d wanna keep quiet after visiting our apparently fair city!
I’ve tried twice to to log a post on this site, I support Sadiq Khan, but I wonder if because of why it doesn’t show up
These emission zones are total b.s. anyway, if my old banger is making so much pollution, it should be BANNED from entering the zone entirely. Not taxed again, as others on here have said, it’s just a money making scam.
Make everthing one way, no traffic lights these cause more pollution as moving vehicles pollute less. My can is diesol but is excempt.
You all know that if you don’t pay off your credit card bill as you go along you end up with a whopping bill. The environmental credit we have all been building up over decades is now due for payment. Man up – You all enjoyed the credit so now it’s time to pay. And if you have been voting for politicians who have been promising you free this and cheap that for decades – all I can say is you should be a bit more discerning when it comes to choosing politicians who either knowingly lie to you or don’t know what they are talking about. So start voting for politicians who tell you the truth and tell you that “this is going to hurt” – because there is no way of avoiding that pain now I’m afraid. Keep voting the way you do and we will continue to get the kakistocracy (look it up) we have had for at least the last 20 years………and the pain will get much worse – for us, our children and our grandchildren.
You will never get me feeling sorry for Londoners’ Transport. Try anywhere else in the country.
They need the money, according to Clarkson they wanted to spend £42 million on 4 miles of cycle way in Holland Park. If the Lefties manage to get their way and ban private cars altogether perhaps cyclists will pay some road tax to compensate for the lost revenue.
I live in a rural area, the Jury’s out on cyclists. They pay nothing to use the roads, yet demand more rights. We have cycle lanes, generally unused as they prefer to block traffic on a 60 mph main road by riding 3 – 4 abreast. Some are good, considerate riders, some are not. Brave man, the one who commented he cycles in London, I used to do it in the 60’s, got stuck on the Elephant and castle double roundabout for an hour as no car driver would let me off.
Now its been running for a few months, I’d like to see the results so far. How much of a difference has it made?
The implementation of ULEZ and congestion charge is harsh and unforgiving. Which is a shame. A chance to talk to citizens of London sensibly has been missed and the Mayor will pay for that at the ballot box.
Is it only me who remembers being reassured that the Congestion Charge would be the cure to all Londons traffic ills? As it been so successful (Not!) why does anyone think applying a variation on the theme i.e. the ULEZ scheme will make much difference?
Or, as we all know, is it yet another cash grab?
And who gave Heathrow the legal right to impose thier own ULEZ?
If everyone refused to pay they’ll have to think of a better way of collecting taxes that’s what it is.
How come travel on the underground in Madrid is so much cheaper and give a better service
So apart from paying themselves a fat salery what do they do with the money ?
Frustrating that my vehicle does not qualify to meet these standards due to its “age” .nothing to do with emissions. Also charged additionally for the parking based up vehicle age.
Sat behind the bloody buses chugging out fumes when my car shuts off engine at every opportunity is a joke. Should turn this feature off because I’ve” paid to pollute”.
Money grabbing which forces on costs to customers. Where is all this money going?
How much of the transport system actually runs 24 hours? and at what frequency. Even if the tube system ran 24 hours, it doesn’t penetrate far to the south of London. Most surface commuter trains don’t run between 00:00 and 06:00 (If that). So how are people working late and early shifts supposed to travel to and from work?
I just been in Paris, there is a low emmission zone as well, however you can buy online the Crit’Air air sticker for only 4.11 inc. P&P and this sticker good for the whole life of your car. “Just a bit cheaper”. But the city is full with hireable electric roller scooters and bikes.
Many drivers will have be persuaded to stop driving anywhere and everywhere if they want to drive when other transport is available they will have to pay and then pay more everytime