WIREDGOV

A number of changes to the Congestion Charge scheme will take effect in the coming weeks. 

The first change means that from yesterday the penalty charge for non-payment of the Congestion Charge will be £130.
 
This is only the third increase in the penalty charge since the Congestion Charge was introduced more than a decade ago and brings the penalty charge in line with other moving traffic, bus lane and parking penalty charges within London.
 
In addition there are two further changes to the Congestion Charge scheme which the Mayor and TfL confirmed last month. 

The GVD and EVD will be replaced by an Ultra Low-Emission Discount (ULED); and from 26 July 2013 shops will no longer process Congestion Charge payments.

The Mayor confirmed the changes to the Congestion Charge scheme last month following a 12-week consultation on proposals, which sought the views of Londoners, businesses and key stakeholders. 

He expects the changes to help spur the use of the cleanest possible vehicles in the Capital and they will also deliver efficiency savings in the operation of the scheme.  
 
Registrations for the GVD and EVD will close from 28 June 2013. 

Anyone registered to receive the GVD by this date will continue to receive a 100 per cent discount from paying the Congestion Charge for a period of three years until 24 June 2016. 

The Mayor and TfL recognise that many drivers made the decision to purchase a low-emission car in order to benefit from the existing discount. 

Therefore, in response to a number of comments made during the consultation, the sunset period was extended from two to three years.
 
Vehicles registered for the current EVD will automatically qualify for the new ULED and owners do not need to take any action.
 
People can apply for the new ULED from 1 July 2013 and the discount will provide a single 100 per cent discount from the Congestion Charge for electric vehicles and ultra low-emission cars and vans.
 
To qualify for the new discount vehicles will have to be either purely electric, or a car or van that emits 75g/km or less of CO2 and meet the Euro 5 emission standard for air quality.

The introduction of the new discount complements the comprehensive set of measures that the Mayor has introduced to tackle air pollution. 

Over the past four years the Mayor has tightened the standard of the Low Emission Zone, further reducing the emissions of around 150,000 vehicles. 

He has introduced the first age limits to retire the oldest and most polluting taxis, and he has delivered a package of innovative local measures through his Clean Air Fund.

In addition the Mayor has overseen procurement of Europe's largest fleet of hybrid buses and developed the new bus for London, the cleanest and greenest of its type. 

There are currently eight prototype new buses in service with a further 600 entering service by 2016. 

They emit a quarter of the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) and around half the CO2 of a traditional diesel vehicle.

The option to pay the Congestion Charge by cash in shops will end from 26 July 2013 as a result of fewer people using that payment method and to reduce the costs of operating the scheme.
 
When the Congestion Charge was introduced in 2003 the retail channel was the most popular method of payment and accounted for 37 per cent of all sales. 

However just four per cent of payments of the Congestion Charge are now made in shops or petrol stations as the vast majority of customers pay the charge through the automatic payment method, Congestion Charge Auto Pay (CC Auto Pay). 

Around 250,000 people have now registered for CC Auto Pay, which sees account holders pay £9 per day (rather than £10) and offers protection from receiving Penalty Charge Notices.
 
Drivers will still be able to pay the Congestion Charge using a wide range of other means including online, by phone, by text message or by CC Auto Pay.

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