How will clean air Leeds impact your travel costs?
It could cost you an extra £100 to travel through Leeds!
Improving our quality of air is the name of the game when it comes to the future of our cities. It is especially true when it comes to a small number of particularly polluted cities, one of them being Leeds. So, to reduce air pollution, a tax will be applied to the worst polluting vehicles. If you may think that choosing an old-school minibus or coach company with older buses will save you money, you may find the opposite come January 2020. If you travel through Leeds after 5th January 2020 in an emission-heavy, non-Euro 6 compliant vehicle, you will be penalised by a Clean Air Zone charge of £50, which your supplier will add to your journey. Furthermore, if it’s a return trip you will pay £50 both ways – totalling a whopping £100 on top of your bill!
WHAT IS CLEAN AIR LEEDS?
Leeds Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is about cleaning up the air we breath in the shortest time possible. We all know that pollution is terrible and in busy cities, this pollution is exceptionally high. Car and bus companies have been helping us to address this by reducing emissions when our engines are idle, using features such as stop-start. But it’s not enough. The most villainous and toxic big vehicles need to be discouraged. That’s why only the worst polluting heavy goods vehicles, buses, coaches and private hire vehicles will face charges for driving within the CAZ. Learn more about Clean Air Zone in our previous blog HERE.
WHAT AREAS OF LEEDS ARE AFFECTED BY CLEAN AIR ZONE?
The Clean Air Zone includes the city centre and areas to the east, north and west. Mainly this includes areas bordered by the A6120 Outer Ring Road. Although there are a few areas which have been granted an exception until January 2025 which include Holbeck, Pudsey and Seacroft. Check out the proposed Clean Air Zone map of Leeds below.
WILL OTHER CITIES BE AFFECTED BY THE CLEAN AIR ZONE?
Other cities which have been identified as urgently in need of reduced air pollution, and likely to see Clean Air Zone charges (or CAZ) in 2020 include Birmingham and Oxford. Plus there is already a charge in place for areas in London and talks of similar costs in Manchester and other major cities. So if you travel through Leeds in a non-Euro 6 compliant vehicle en route to a hen party in Birmingham, you could see £50 charge in Leeds and £50 in Birmingham totalling £100. Worse still, you could then see the same charges on your return trip which would tot up to a whopping £200 on top of your standard transport cost.
So, play it safe and make sure that your chosen method of transport is Euro 6 compliant! If you are unsure ask the company you are thinking of booking with. For instance, we have upgraded all of our vehicles to ensure that they meet all the Euro 6 standards (check them out here). So our customers can be confident that they won’t suffer the financial consequences of any extra CAZ charges!
To find out more about Clean Air Leeds visit their website https://cleanairleeds.co.uk/
DON’T BE OVERCHARGED, BOOK WITH US!
In summary, if you want to keep your costs low while doing your bit for the environment then take an extra moment to research your minibus, taxi or coach company. Better still, if you live near Leeds, Rothwell, Wakefield, Pontefract or Castleford please call us. With free, no obligation quotes and a very comfy fleet of new, eco-efficient vehicles you can be confident that you will never be over-charged with us!
