With the arrival on 23 October of the T-Charge for vehicles that aren’t Euro IV-compliant, and the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in April 2019, London is leading the charge on sustainable transport.
The capital has a sophisticated mobility ecosystem, with many transport options. Car clubs and vehicle rental are already playing a significant role in delivering a flexible transport service that is close to many rail and tube stations and easy to book and pay for and, in the case of car clubs, is available round the clock, seven days a week.
While most employees may not often drive into London and won’t be concerned by either the T-Charge or the ULEZ, some inevitably will need to do so, plus others may need a car as part of their onward journey within the city. In addition, businesses based in London now have another option for getting around.
This is why we’ve been focusing a lot of attention on working with Transport for London and the London Boroughs to create a wider and more accessible car club network, locating vehicles close to major mainline stations as well as Tube stations (we’re already within a kilometre of nearly half of them).
By complementing public transport and providing another sustainable and cost-effective choice, car clubs offer another level of choice that is up to both T-Charge and ULEZ standards.
That means businesses should be thinking now about how these changes could affect them if employees drive a ‘grey fleet’ car into London – and also give due consideration to vans and commercial vehicles.
The grey fleet is a significant area of concern, both for the T-Charge and the ULEZ. Pre-Euro IV cars tend to be registered before 2006, but even those registered before 2008 could fail the test.
We carried out research recently into drivers around Europe who use their own cars for work trips. In the UK alone, one in ten (10%) drive a vehicle that’s a decade old or more, and one in sixteen (6%) drive a vehicle that’s more than 12 years old. So there could be tens of thousands of non-Euro IV-compliant grey fleet cars on Britain’s roads, many of which may head into the capital and face the T-Charge.
London is a thriving business hub and that means its need for good mobility choices has never been stronger. Organisations should make sure their business travel is up to the standards required.
