Almost half of SMEs unaware of imminent arrival of Clean Air Zones

Four out of ten small and medium sized businesses are unaware that Clean Air Zones (CAZs) will start to be implemented in towns and cities as early as next year, figures from the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) reveal.
 
Over a third are unaware that the CAZs are likely to involve charges for all but the most modern and least polluting diesel vehicles. In some cities, these charges will be as much as £100 per day for an HGV and £12.50 per day for other vehicles such as taxis and vans. Some local authorities have already announced plans to charge drivers of more polluting diesel cars a CAZ-entry fee.
 
Leeds, Derby, Nottingham, Southampton and Birmingham have already been mandated to bring in operational Clean Air Zones by 2020. An additional 23 local authorities have also been earmarked for CAZ implementation and a further 33 are considering what approach to take as part of their strategy to improve air quality. 
 
London launches its 24/7 Ultra-Low Emission Zone in April 2019, replacing the current T-Charge operating in the Congestion Zone area. Mayor, Sadiq khan recently has announced plans to extend the ULEZ to an area 18-times larger than the original zone by 25 October 2021.
 
BVRLA Chief Executive Gerry Keaney said: “Unless more is done to publicise the impact of these various Clean Air Zones and mitigate their impact, hundreds of thousands of businesses across the country will be hit with a new regional road transport tax that will bring additional cost and confusion at a time when firms are already dealing with Brexit-related economic uncertainty.
 
“We are particularly concerned about truck operators, who are more likely to be impacted by these zones, face the biggest charges and will struggle to find and afford CAZ-compliant vehicles.”

In addition to calling for more publicity around CAZs and what they will mean, the BVRLA is also encouraging national and local policymakers to introduce a range of measures that will help business fleets make the transition to cleaner vehicles and encourage the use of more sustainable modes of transport.

These include only using CAZs where necessary and minimise their size where possible; and to ensure that local authorities adhere to common clean air zone standards in terms of hours of operation, signage, communications and any exemptions. As many businesses operate within multiple cities and regions on a daily basis it is vital that a standardised approach is developed to avoid confusion and improve the ease of compliance for drivers.

The BVRLA also says that ‘phased charging’ for trucks should be implemented so that the most polluting vehicles pay a higher fee to enter the CAZ.  As currently envisaged, all trucks other than those meeting the very latest Euro VI emissions standard will pay the same fee.  Introducing a graduated charge would encourage operators that cannot afford to buy a brand-new fleet to buy newer, cleaner used vehicles.

Finally, the BVRLA wants large scale trials of Mobility Credits. Under this scheme, drivers of older more polluting cars are offered credit if they scrap their polluting car. This credit can then be used across public transport and other modes such as car hire and car share all brought together under an app.