Glasgow Council refuses 12-month delay in LEZ enforcement for taxis and PHVs

Glasgow Council has refused a request to push back by 12 months the start of enforcement of Glasgow’s Low Emissions Zone for taxis and private hire cars.

The move would have brought Glasgow in line with other Scottish cities, but the refusal means enforcement will begin from July 2023. Private cars will be allowed a further 12 months until June 2024, however.

The Scottish Private Hire Association had asked for the delay as it argued the LEZ would have a serious impact on the taxi trade, with drivers having to buy new cars in order to avoid CAZ charges. According to council figures, 26% of the private hire fleet would require replacement by the enforcement date.

SPHA general secretary Eddie Grice said: “Retrofitting options are not available to the private hire trade. Only the hackney taxi has been given retrofit options.

All private hire cars need to be replaced for compliant vehicles by the LEZ enforcement date.”

“The SPHA and the private hire trade have accepted that the LEZ is coming, but we have been campaigning for an increase to the upper age limit on private hire cars. This was set at seven years.

We have been working to see this increased to ten years.

“Last month, the Council’s licensing committee revisited this. A motion was passed requesting a report be published from the Council’s Executive with a view to increasing the age limit so that an evidence led decision can be made on the matter.”

“An increase to the age limit will help drivers and operators by allowing more time with the vehicles before having to retire them, which will help in the long term with the costs involved in becoming LEZ compliant. It would also help encourage the fleet move towards more environmentally friendly vehicles.”

The LEZ will come into force from June 1, 2023, and will require all vehicles entering the city centre zone area to meet lesspolluting emission standards or face a penalty charge. The LEZ will operate 24 hours a day, all year round. It will affect 226 streets throughout the city centre bounded by the M8 motorway to the north and west and the River Clyde to the south.

It has emerged that more than half off Glasgow City Council’s own vehicles are not compliant with LEZ regulations. A total of 820 council vehicles will need to be either upgraded or replaced by June 2023.