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National shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) has described London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion as “an opportunity” for a further shift to shared transport options such as car clubs, bike and e-scooter share schemes.
London’s ULEZ officially expanded today, August 29, doubling in size to reach outer London in one of the bigger changes to the capital’s roads in decades.
Richard Dilks, chief executive of CoMoUK, said: “The ULEZ expansion is an opportunity for greater use of shared transport options such as car clubs, bike and e-scooter share schemes which enable Londoners to step away from car ownership.
“Shared transport is a way to avoid a daily charge, and is part of TfL’s official support package for residents and for those scrapping a qualifying vehicle. This all helps to clean up London’s air and deliver more liveable neighbourhoods.”
More than 600,000 people in London have used shared e-scooters as part of successful trials, while there are 667,000 car club members in the city.
But London is also home to around 2.7 million private cars, which are the single most dominant transport mode.
Dilks added: “London has a wealth of shared transport options that offer alternative ways of travelling around the city which are kinder to both the environment and people’s bank accounts.
“If we are serious about cutting the level of transport emissions, reducing private vehicle use is a crucial part of how we get there.”
To assist Londoners with transitioning to greener transport, The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan previously announced an expansion of the ULEZ scrappage scheme to all Londoners, enabling them to trade in non-compliant cars or motorcycles for a personal grant of up to £2,000.
All London residents are eligible for the grant to purchase compliant vehicles, including a switch to bikes, e-bikes and cargo bikes.
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Businesses are also set to receive more financial help with the grant per van being raised from £5,000 to £7,000 and the number of vans or minibuses small businesses and sole traders can scrap will increase to three – meaning small businesses could get £21,000 for a greener fleet.
Minibus payments will also be increased, as will the payments for switching to an electric vehicle, meaning some businesses could secure even higher levels of support.
