The Cost of Cleaner Air: How Much are Emissions Zones Earning?

As clean air zones expand across the UK, more drivers face daily charges for bringing older, polluting vehicles into city centers. But how much are these schemes earning from motorists? Let's look at the numbers:

London ULEZ Rakes In Millions

Since launching in 2019, London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has already generated over £150 million in revenue. This comes largely from non-compliant vehicles paying the £12.50 daily fee.

Expanding the zone to cover more of Greater London in October 2021 has increased income even further. Transport for London (TfL) figures show they collected £4.6 million in just the first month of the enlarged ULEZ.

Critics argue these millions show the ULEZ is more about making money than cleaning up air pollution. Drivers with no option except polluting vehicles face the brunt of charges.

Birmingham's CAZ Earnings

Birmingham's Clean Air Zone launched in June 2021. In its first 5 months it generated £5.3 million from buses, taxis and heavy goods vehicles paying to drive within the zone.

Income is ringfenced to support upgrades to non-compliant vehicles. But uptake of financial incentives has been slow, meaning the council has a surplus so far.

Manchester CAZ Delayed

Greater Manchester has postponed plans to implement a CAZ after estimating it would incur fines of £1 billion in just the first year. The penalties aimed to force heavy vehicle upgrades have now been seen as unaffordable amid a cost of living crisis.

Future Income Unclear

Other cities like Bath, Bristol and Bradford still plan to launch CAZ zones, which will undoubtedly bring in more revenue as they charge certain vehicles.

But how much schemes raise going forward depends on how quickly local drivers can transition to compliant vehicles. With widespread criticism over the cost burdens, the future earnings of all these zones remains uncertain.

While the charges are intended to improve air quality, it seems cleaner air is coming at a high price, especially for lower income drivers. Striking the right balance with these schemes remains a difficult balancing act.