Charities have welcomed a decision by the Mayor of London to boost cash support to change their vehicles to ensure they are compliant with the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone scheme.
Sadiq Khan announced last week that he would increase the funds available under the associated scrappage scheme by £50m to £160m.
As a result, the amount charities can claim under the scheme to scrap up to three minibuses will rise from £21,000 to £27,000.
The ULEZ is being expanded to the M25 from 29 August in a bid to tackle air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Non-compliant vehicles will attract a daily fee of £12.50 after that date, although there are exemptions for charities and other not-for-profit organisations that operate minibuses used for community transport through to October 2025.
Charities that operate vehicles within the newly affected areas have expressed fears that the expansion of the zone would have a “devastating” effect on their work.
The enhanced scrappage scheme means the amount charities can claim for vans will increase from £5,000 to £7,000, while grants for scrapping minibuses will rise from £7,000 to £9,000.
In other changes:
- Grants for wheelchair accessible vehicles will increase from £5,000 to £10,000
- Grants to replace a non-compliant van with an electric version increase from £7,500 to £9,500
- Grants to replace a non-compliant minibus with an electric minibus increase from £9,500 to £11,500
- Retrofit grants increase from £5,000 to £6,000, which is typically enough to cover the whole cost of retrofitting, according to City Hall
Gabby Machell, chief executive of the disability charity LDN London, said: “Our minibuses are vital when supporting people who can’t use public transport because of their physical and learning disabilities, sensory needs and autism, or where they struggle with accessing or using it.
“Extending TFL’s scrappage scheme will help save us money and to affordably replace our minibuses, be more environmentally friendly and to continue to support children and adults with learning disabilities and physical disabilities to travel freely and comfortably across London.”
Tim Dexter, clean air lead at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “We welcome the announcement on the growth in targeted support available for scrappage.
“The increased support will particularly help small businesses and charities transition to cleaner, greener modes of transport.”
Kush Kanodia, a disability rights champion, said: “This expansion of the scrappage scheme is great news for the disabled community and shows that campaigns from disabled people can have a significant impact to change the policy in Greater London.”
Christina Calderato, director of strategy and policy at Transport for London, said: “We know the significant positive impact that ULEZ has made already since its launch in 2019 in helping to tackle the air pollution that contributes to life-changing diseases, such as cancer, lung disease, dementia and asthma.”
Charities need to be registered with the Charity Commission at an address within Greater London to be eligible for the scheme.
A London City Hall spokesperson said: “If they are registered with the Charity Commission at an address outside Greater London they will need to prove that they have an operating address within Greater London.
“There is also a temporary exemption until October 2025 for not-for-profit organisations, including charities, but also schools and local authorities, operating community transport minibuses. Any charity can register for this regardless of whether they are registered to a London address.”