ULEZ: £158m pledged to drivers from Sadiq Khan and TfL's scrappage scheme

New figures from Transport for London (TfL) have revealed that just 40% of motorists who applied for Sadiq Khan’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) scrappage scheme have been approved.

TfL said it had committed over £158m of the scrappage fund to 46,616 applicants since the scheme launched last year - from 115,246 applicants.

The scrappage scheme was introduced to support motorists with non-ULEZ compliant vehicles to shift to cleaner modes of transport ahead of the ULEZ expansion to cover almost the whole of Greater London last August.

The ULEZ enforces a daily £12.50 charge for driving older, more polluting vehicles which do not meet emissions standards. Previously it only covered the area within the North and South Circular roads.

The mayor initially pledged £110m in scrappage funds when the scheme was launched on January 30 2023. This was increased to £160m ahead of the ULEZ expansion last summer.

Earlier this month it was announced that a further £50m would be allocated to the scheme as part of the City Hall budget for 2024/25. This brings the total amount of funding up to £210m.

With over £158m already allocated, this leaves just over £50m left in the pot for drivers, charities and small businesses with non-compliant vehicles.

Lib Dem mayoral candidate Rob Blackie said: “These figures prove that Sadiq Khan’s rushed ULEZ expansion has left thousands of Londoners without the support they need. Far too many small businesses and sole traders are struggling to get access to scrappage money - a double punishment as they are hit with a charge each day while they try to do the right thing and change to a cleaner vehicle.”

Keith Prince, City Hall Conservatives transport spokesman, said: “The latest figures suggesting most applications are rejected is very concerning. These numbers represent the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people who are not only out of pocket but are also without a ULEZ-compliant vehicle.”

The scrappage scheme offers £2,000 for cars drivers, £1,000 for motorcyclists and between £6,000 and £11,500 for vans and minibuses.

TfL data shows that between January 30 2023 and January 14 2024, 31,577 out of 64,923 applications from car drivers or motorcyclists had been approved. While 15,039 out of 50,323 applications from van and minibus drivers had been given the green light.

The data revealed that applicants from the outer London boroughs of Hillingdon, Croydon and Havering received the highest amount of support with £38m allocated between the three boroughs.

Kensington and Chelsea residents and businesses have received least - £351,000 for 100 approved applications.

Last September, TfL released a report a month after the ULEZ expansion to Greater London which showed that 95% of vehicles met the emission rules and did not have to pay.

Seb Dance, deputy mayor for transport, said: “There has been huge take-up for the ULEZ scrappage scheme – the biggest of its kind in the UK – and we want even more businesses, charities and individuals to be able to replace or retrofit their older, polluting vehicles, so we are planning to provide an additional £50 million to the fund, which would bring the total to £210 million.”

Christina Calderato, TfL’s director of strategy and policy, said: “It’s great to see that so many individuals, charities and businesses across the capital have been supported by the vehicle scrappage fund over the last year, enabling them to switch to cleaner and greener travel, taking advantage of the bus and tram pass and other ULEZ offers, as well as replace or retrofit their older, more polluting vehicles.

 “While the latest data shows that 95% of vehicles driving in the ULEZ on the average day are already compliant, this additional £50m funding will ensure that there is still significant help available for those that need it. Applications are being processed in a matter of days, and I would urge anyone who owns a non-compliant vehicle to apply to the scheme.”