A council has pledged to take polluting cabs off the road by the end of the year – only if the Government agrees to help fund greener alternatives.
As part of the previous Government’s drive to reduce harmful roadside levels of nitrogen dioxide, councils were ordered in 2017 to reduce levels as quickly as possible and by 2026 at the latest.
Many regions looked towards congestion charging and clean air zones to find a solution, but the concept was rejected by Greater Manchester Combined Authority – comprised of all 10 local authorities in the region. Instead, it wanted to adopt an investment-led strategy and not charge people for using the region’s roads because it would put jobs, livelihoods and businesses at risk.
Policy update
As part of this drive, Bolton Council’s Environmental and Regulation Committee agreed last month that all licensed hackney carriage and private hire vehicles must be electric or meet the minimum Euro 6 (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol) by December 31. This applies to all diesel vehicles registered on or after September 1, 2015, and all petrol vehicles registered on or after January 1, 2006.
The committee heard that £30.5 million has been proposed to help replace non-compliant taxis and PHVs across Greater Manchester and agreed that it would only introduce the licensing changes if the Government approved the funding through the Clean Taxi Fund for Greater Manchester.
The Bolton News reports that the initiative would be managed by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, with drivers eligible to apply if their borough has adopted the new standards.
The committee heard that Bolton had 367 non-compliant vehicles, which represented 24% – almost a quarter – of the total fleet. If similar numbers of older, more polluting vehicles needed to be replaced in each of the 10 boroughs through the Clean Taxi Fund, each driver would receive an average £8,310. While some might receive more and others receive less, it would go a long way towards the cost of an EV or newer petrol or diesel vehicle.
Cleaner environment
Cllr Sue Haworth, Bolton’s executive cabinet member responsible for licensing, told the committee: “As a council, we’re committed to making Bolton a cleaner, greener and healthier place to live.
“Poor air quality affects everyone’s health and is linked to chronic conditions like asthma, heart disease and cancer.
“Lowering emissions will have a significant effect in terms of reducing air pollution and helping to improve the health of residents.
“If this policy is approved and implemented with the confirmation of the Clean Taxi Fund, private hire and hackney carriage drivers will be financially supported in upgrading their vehicles.”
The high cost of EVs as well as the ongoing cost-of-living crisis means that taxi and PHV drivers are struggling to afford greener alternatives when they replace their vehicles.
The proposed Clean Taxi Fund is intended to make sure that no one is left behind at the end of the year because they cannot afford a new taxi or PHV.
By deciding that councils must update their licensing policies in order to access funding, the GMCA is also helping to raise standards across the region’s taxi and PHV industry.
Now drivers just need the Government to approve the Clean Taxi Fund to ensure they can replace polluting vehicles by the end of the year.