Ulez scrappage scheme to end in three weeks

Ulez was expanded to all of London last August

The scrappage scheme for vehicles that do not meet Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) standards is set to close in three weeks, Transport for London (TfL) has said.

A total of £186m has been paid out to almost 54,000 successful applicants to scrap older, more polluting vehicles - which otherwise would pay £12.50 per day to drive in London.

Less than a third of the 61,000 applications for vans and minibuses were successful compared with nearly half of those for 75,000 cars and motorcycles.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "I am proud that the scrappage scheme - the biggest in the UK - has supported so many Londoners to switch to cleaner, greener vehicles."

If you live in a London borough and your car is non-compliant, you can claim up to £2,000 for a car and up to £7,000 for a van or minibus or if you are a small business.

Charities using minibuses can claim up to £9,000 while disabled Londoners with wheelchair-adapted vehicles can get as much as £10,000.

The last day to apply is 7 September with any application made before the deadline "guaranteed to be processed and reviewed for eligibility", TfL says.

The scheme was expanded to most Londoners on 4 August 2023, ahead of the expansion of Ulez at the end of that month.

Almost £70m was paid to the owners of more than 36,000 cars and motorcycles while almost 18,000 vans and minibus owners were handed £116.5m.

Some 232 charities had their applications approved, totalling £1.7m in grants.

At least 330 vehicles were donated to Ukraine.

'Annoyed' and ignored

Terry Hussey applied for scrappage when the scheme opened up to all Londoners last year.

But he told BBC Radio London he has still not received his scrappage payment - or even a reply.

"When I applied it was well within the criteria, yet I’ve never had a reply from them, not a word," he said.

"It’s a beautiful car, but I’m not going to insure it and tax it and everything else not. I’ll just have to scrap it.

"I’m not going to pay £12.50 a day, I’m within the area. Every time I pull off the drive it will cost me £12.50. I’m not going to do that.

"I’m just annoyed that I’ve not heard a word from TfL and it was within the criteria."

'Enthusiastic take up'

Hillingdon saw the most applications followed by Croydon and Hounslow.

There were just four successful applicants in the City of London and 87 requests from outside the Greater London Authority area were rejected.

Christina Calderato, TfL’s director of strategy, said they had seen "enthusiastic take up" of the scrappage scheme after it was opened to all Londoners.

She said demand was now much lower as the "vast majority" of those who needed support to adapt to Ulez had "already taken action" and almost 54,000 applications had been approved.

Ms Calderato said they would "encourage anyone who still needs support" to submit their application before the deadline of 23:59 BST on 7 September.

Any remaining funds would then be considered for other proposed uses to further the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, she added.