London’s mayor launches fund to help retire polluting diesel taxis

In the latest in a series of measures to clean up London’s toxic air, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Transport for London (TfL) have launched a US£55 million (£42 million) fund to encourage the owners of the oldest, most polluting diesel black cabs to retire them from the Capital’s fleet. Taxis are a significant contributor to London’s toxic air quality, and are responsible for 16 per cent of NOx and 26 per cent of Particulate Matter (PM) road transport emissions in central London. From today, the own
July 28, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
In the latest in a series of measures to clean up London’s toxic air, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and 1466 Transport for London (TfL) have launched a US£55 million (£42 million) fund to encourage the owners of the oldest, most polluting diesel black cabs to retire them from the Capital’s fleet.  

 
Taxis are a significant contributor to London’s toxic air quality, and are responsible for 16 per cent of NOx and 26 per cent of Particulate Matter (PM) road transport emissions in central London.
 
From today, the owners of black cabs which are between 10 and 15 years old can check whether they are eligible for TfL’s ‘delicensing’ scheme and then apply for a grant of up to US$6,500 (£5,000) in exchange for retiring their taxi.  
 
The three-year scheme aims to speed up the process of tackling London’s filthy air, greening the Capital’s taxi fleet, and working towards the goal of making London a zero-carbon city by 2050.
 
No more new diesel taxis will be licensed in London from 1 January 2018, and a number of manufacturers are prioritising delivering new greener, state-of-the-art Zero Emission Capable (ZEC) taxis. The London Electric Vehicle Company is the first to confirm the opening of their order book, expected in August.
 
The Government’s Plug-in Taxi Grant, part-funded by the Mayor, will also give cabbies purchasing new ZEC taxis up to £7,500 towards the purchase of a new vehicle. When combined with a delicensing payment, drivers could have up to US$16,300 (£12,500) towards the purchase of a brand new ZEC taxi.
 
A greener fleet could reduce harmful NOx emissions from taxis by 45 per cent in central London by 2020, making a major contribution to cleaning up the city’s toxic air and preparing for the introduction of zero emission zones from 2025.

Urban Traffic Control Air Quality & Weather Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Mobile payment technologies for Australia
    October 11, 2016
    Contactless technology, the ability to tap your bank issued card or enabled mobile device to make a payment, has brought speed and simplicity to the in-store shopping experience. Doug Howe explains how innovations, like Contactless, in the mobile and banking industries have the potential to transform public transportation. Q Why is public transportation ripe for transformation? A Today, more than half the world’s population lives in cities; that’s a figure set to increase to 70% by 2050. International
    Read More
  • UK government pledges £6m on chargepoints for ultra-low emission taxis
    February 12, 2019
    The UK government is investing more than £6 million in the deployment of chargepoints to support ultra-low emission taxis across the country. The money will be used to install nearly 300 rapid points and 46 fast ones in 17 local authorities, including Greater Manchester, Brighton & Hove and Leicester. Rapid chargepoints are typically able to charge an EV to 80% in 30 minutes depending on the model’s battery capacity while fast charging is expected to deliver more than 60 miles of range in 10-30 minu
    Read More
  • Anywhere card delivers prepaid contactless ticketing
    January 25, 2012
    David Crawford investigates a far reaching initiative in integrated travel. The Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO), an operator of high speed commuter rail in the north eastern US, is not one of the world's best known transit providers. Its 13 stations along a single east-west route (three of them interchanges with other regional commuter lines) handle 40,000 passengers a day, travelling to and from Philadelphia, the US' fifth most populous city.
    Read More
  • Perfect Data launches ride-hailing app in UK
    August 20, 2019
    Perfect Data has launched a ride-hailing app across the UK which it says will provide local authorities with a map of all vehicles operating in their areas. Darren Tenney, founder of Perfect Data, says Xooox [pronounced ‘Zooks’] will allow regulators to see what’s happening at street level. “At last they will have the power to take action against unlicensed, banned or out of jurisdiction drivers,” he continues. “This will not only help keep passengers safe, it will help protect the income of the hundred
    Read More

Highlighted Content