Making London greener

In an effort to make the Congestion Charge scheme even greener, a new Ultra Low Emission Discount (ULED) has been announced.

Set to be introduced at the beginning of July, it will replace existing discounts and ensure that only zero or ultra-low emission vehicles driving in the Capital receive a 100 per cent discount on the Congestion Charge.

The announcement made by Mayor Boris Johnson follows a 12-week public consultation.

There will also be two other changes to the scheme from July.

The option to pay the Congestion Charge in shops and at petrol stations will be removed.

Previously one of the most popular ways to pay the charge, the majority of people now do so automatically.

Around 250,000 people are registered for CC Auto Pay benefitting from a daily charge of £9 (rather than £10) and protection from receiving penalty charges.

The penalty charge for nonpayment will also increase from £120 to £130 in line with other moving traffic, bus lane and parking charges within London.

Cars currently receiving the Greener Vehicle Discount (GVD) will not meet the more stringent criteria for the new ULED.

However, as many drivers purchased a lowemission car in order to benefit from the GVD, they will continue to receive a full discount for that vehicle for a 'sunset period' of three years - an increase from the two years proposed in the consultation.

John Mason, Transport for London's Director responsible for Congestion Charging, said: 'We were pleased with the level of response from Londoners, businesses and stakeholders which has helped us and the Mayor shape our decisions.

'We've listened to the responses and have decided to extend the sunset period for current GVD registered vehicles by an additional year.

'We are confident that these changes will make the scheme greener and more efficient.'

To qualify for the new discount vehicles will have to be either electric only, or a cars or van that emits 75g/km or less of carbon dioxide and meets the Euro 5 emission standard for air quality.