We don't support Ulez expansion - transport secretary
Transport Secretary Mark Harper says he does not back the expansion of Ulez, emphasising that it's a decision by Labour’s London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
He tells BBC
Breakfast that no central government money can be used for the expansion, and
it must come from the mayor’s own budget.
Delays on TfL's Ulez checker
It looks like many people have been checking whether their vehicle is Ulez compliant this morning.
A few moments ago, we went to check on TfL's website to check our vehicles, but were told there were delays of up to four minutes to access the page.
Luckily for you, our previous post will give you a pretty good indication of if your vehicle is compliant.
Is your car Ulez compliant? Here's how to find out
Whether or not your vehicle can
be driven in Greater London without paying the Ulez fee more or less depends on
its year of manufacture. But, this isn't based on some arbitrary year – it's to do with EU standards.
Broadly, these are the vehicles you can drive in London
without paying the Ulez fee:
Diesel cars and vans: 2015 models
and newer (Euro 6)
Petrol cars and vans: 2006 models
or newer (Euro 4)
For motorbikes, it's
2007 and up (Euro 3)
Buses, coaches and
lorries are a little different – they're beholden to the Low Emission Zone standards
and must comply with Euro VI.
You can check your vehicle on Transport for London's website here.
What's Ulez again?
Ulez - pronounced Yoo-lez or
Oo-lez, take your pick - is the Ultra Low Emission Zone, an area in London in
which drivers of the most polluting vehicles must pay £12.50 a day to use their
vehicles.
Boris Johnson introduced the scheme - aimed at
cutting air pollution in the capital - when he was the mayor of London.
It first came into effect in
April 2019 - by this time, Labour's Sadiq Khan had been elected mayor.
Initially, the scheme covered the
same area as the Congestion Zone (just the very centre of the city), before
widening out to the north and south circular roads in 2021. Today, as you'll see from the map below, it is being
expanded across all of Greater London.
Five Conservative-led councils
tried to stop the expansion with a legal challenge, but the High Court
ruled in favour of Khan and the expansion of the scheme was given the go-ahead.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Find out more about Ulez here - and check if you car passes muster here.
Clean air scheme Ulez expands across whole of London
Dulcie Lee
Live reporter
London's Ultra Low Emission Zone, Ulez, has now expanded to cover all of Greater London, with owners of the most polluting cars now facing a £12.50 daily charge to drive in the capital.
The scheme had previously been limited just to central areas of the city.
It hit national headlines earlier this summer, after anger over the plan by some residents was interpreted as a key factor in the Conservatives narrowly holding onto Boris Johnson’s old constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in a by-election.
Clean air campaigners support the expansion, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan has staunchly defended his decision. But it’s safe to say support from Labour’s leadership has been lukewarm at best in the wake of the defeat.
Stick with us and we’ll take a look under the bonnet (ahem) of how Ulez works, what it aims to achieve, and analyse the political implications of expansion.
Live Reporting
Edited by George Bowden and Alexandra Fouché
All times stated are UK
Get involved
We don't support Ulez expansion - transport secretary
Transport Secretary Mark Harper says he does not back the expansion of Ulez, emphasising that it's a decision by Labour’s London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
He tells BBC Breakfast that no central government money can be used for the expansion, and it must come from the mayor’s own budget.
Delays on TfL's Ulez checker
It looks like many people have been checking whether their vehicle is Ulez compliant this morning.
A few moments ago, we went to check on TfL's website to check our vehicles, but were told there were delays of up to four minutes to access the page.
Luckily for you, our previous post will give you a pretty good indication of if your vehicle is compliant.
Is your car Ulez compliant? Here's how to find out
Whether or not your vehicle can be driven in Greater London without paying the Ulez fee more or less depends on its year of manufacture. But, this isn't based on some arbitrary year – it's to do with EU standards.
Broadly, these are the vehicles you can drive in London without paying the Ulez fee:
You can check your vehicle on Transport for London's website here.
What's Ulez again?
Ulez - pronounced Yoo-lez or Oo-lez, take your pick - is the Ultra Low Emission Zone, an area in London in which drivers of the most polluting vehicles must pay £12.50 a day to use their vehicles.
Boris Johnson introduced the scheme - aimed at cutting air pollution in the capital - when he was the mayor of London.
It first came into effect in April 2019 - by this time, Labour's Sadiq Khan had been elected mayor.
Initially, the scheme covered the same area as the Congestion Zone (just the very centre of the city), before widening out to the north and south circular roads in 2021. Today, as you'll see from the map below, it is being expanded across all of Greater London.
Five Conservative-led councils tried to stop the expansion with a legal challenge, but the High Court ruled in favour of Khan and the expansion of the scheme was given the go-ahead.
Find out more about Ulez here - and check if you car passes muster here.
Clean air scheme Ulez expands across whole of London
Dulcie Lee
Live reporter
London's Ultra Low Emission Zone, Ulez, has now expanded to cover all of Greater London, with owners of the most polluting cars now facing a £12.50 daily charge to drive in the capital.
The scheme had previously been limited just to central areas of the city.
It hit national headlines earlier this summer, after anger over the plan by some residents was interpreted as a key factor in the Conservatives narrowly holding onto Boris Johnson’s old constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in a by-election.
Clean air campaigners support the expansion, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan has staunchly defended his decision. But it’s safe to say support from Labour’s leadership has been lukewarm at best in the wake of the defeat.
Stick with us and we’ll take a look under the bonnet (ahem) of how Ulez works, what it aims to achieve, and analyse the political implications of expansion.