Operators in London will face Sadiq Khan’s Ultra Low Emission Zone fees from April 2019, after the mayor moved forward the zone’s start date.

Khan launched a public consultation into the proposed ULEZ today (4 April), which will see non-Euro-6 HGVs pay a daily fee of £100 to operate in the current congestion charge zone.

Vans that don’t meet Euro-6 requirements will pay the £12.50 charge applied to cars and smaller vehicles.

Khan intends to consult further on expanding the zone’s reach across London. His goal is to expand the ULEZ to nearly all of Greater London, covering everything within the North and South Circular roads for HGVs and coaches by 2020, and all vehicles by 2021.

When the initial ULEZ comes into play in two years’ time, it will replace the £10 T-charge for vehicles that is set to come in this October.

Khan said the proposed ULEZ would make London’s emission standard the toughest in the world. He called on the government to follow his lead and introduce a national scrappage scheme for polluting vehicles, “reform fiscal incentives like vehicle excise duty and pass a Clean Air Act”.

Khan said he wanted to introduce the ULEZ sooner than 2020 shortly after he was elected last year.

RHA chief executive Richard Burnett criticised the move heavily, claiming the charge will put hauliers out of business.

He said: “Of course we all want a cleaner London. But don’t let the Mayor’s quest for clean air turn the nation’s capital into a ghost town.

“The majority of hauliers entering the capital on a regular basis are already using trucks that meet the Euro-6 standard – but many are not.

"They will be facing an additional £24,000 a year in fines. Many will be forced out of business while others will have no alternative but to pass the additional cost on to their customers.”

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