Polluting taxis will only be taken off the roads of one major town if drivers are given financial help to afford newer, cleaner vehicles.
Bolton Council has pledged that it will only ban older, more-polluting taxis and PHVs once funding has been approved to help drivers who are struggling to meet the costs of greener vehicles.
The move comes as all councils have until the end of the year to reduce illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide.
Greener cabs
The Bolton News reports that Bolton Council has updated its taxi and PHV licensing policy so 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.
But the council’s Environmental and Regulation Committee stipulated that the changes will only be introduced if the Government approves funding to help replace the 367 non-compliant vehicles licensed by the authority – about 25% of Bolton’s taxi and PHV fleet.
Funding worth £30.5 million has been agreed by Greater Manchester Combined Authority – made up of the 10 local councils in the region – which is responsible for reducing nitrogen dioxide levels.
Other cites and regions have introduced congestion charging and clean air zones to cut pollution, but the idea was rejected by Greater Manchester which instead wants to adopt an investment-led strategy. It has earmarked the money needed through the Clean Taxi Fund to replace non-compliant vehicles – which averages £8,310 per vehicle, assuming similar numbers need replacing across the region. It now needs Government approval to go ahead.
Environmental commitment
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.”
Financial support
The high cost of EVs as well as the ongoing cost-of-living crisis mean that taxi and PHV drivers are struggling to afford greener alternatives when they replace their vehicles. The changes being introduced from December 31 are that all taxis and PHVs must be electric, or registered on or after September 1, 2015, for diesels, and registered on or after January 1, 2006, for petrol.
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 newer taxi or PHV. The £8,000 grant, plus trade-in value of their current vehicle, as well as any other offers available, would help put a big dent in the figure they need for a new vehicle.
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.
