Drivers avoided more than 400,000 ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) fines this year because officials couldn’t find the vehicle owners’ details, Transport for London figures show.
Transport chiefs have said they were unable to issue the penalty charge notices for some vehicles, including those which are registered abroad, in the latest humiliation for the Labour London Mayor.
TfL’s figures span January 1 to August 29, the day when Sadiq Khan expanded the zone out to the capital‘s outer boroughs.
ULEZ is now the biggest clean air scheme in the world with drivers of non-compliant vehicles (broadly pre-2005 petrol and pre-2015 diesel) having to fork out a £12.50 daily fee to drive within the zone.
But it has proven to be controversial because of its impact on poorer households and workers who cannot afford a vehicle which meets the zone’s higher emissions standards.
TfL can fine vehicle owners who don’t pay the ULEZ charge £180 but this drops to £90 if it’s paid within two weeks.
But some motorists swerved 417,080 ULEZ fines because the registered vehicle owners’ details did not appear on a DVLA database.
There was a large increase between the amount recorded in 2021 and 2022 after the scheme’s initial expansion to cover central London.
Drivers have also avoided a total of 114,274 Congestion Charge fines so far this year for the same reason, according to the figures obtained via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request and first published by MyLondon.
The Congestion Charge covers much of central London with a £15 levy applying during zone charging times.
A TfL official said in a response to the FOI request from a member of the public that when the DVLA provides it with registered keeper details the transport body also obtains details of the make and model of the vehicle.
They added: “Prior to issuing a penalty we verify the vehicle details provided by the DVLA match the image of the vehicle which we have.
“Where there is a match a PCN (penalty charge notice) is issued. If the vehicle description provided by the DVLA doesn’t match the image of the vehicle which we have, a PCN will not be issued.”
The official added that on receiving a fine a motorist has a statutory right to challenge the penalty by submitting a representation to TfL.
If a motorist contacts TfL saying the penalty has been issued because of the vehicle being cloned, TfL asks for evidence of that.
TfL’s response continued: “On receipt, and verification of, satisfactory evidence the representation will be accepted and the PCN cancelled.”
TfL has said nine out of 10 cars driving in Outer London during an average day are ULEZ compliant and motorists can sign up to the authority’s Auto Pay system for free so they can avoid getting fined.
Drivers signed up to Auto Pay are automatically billed for the number of charging days their vehicle travels within the Congestion Charge zone, Low Emission Zone and ULEZ.
There are no registration or renewal fees to add vehicles to Auto Pay or Fleet Auto Pay.
A DVLA spokesperson said: “Vehicle keepers have a legal responsibility to inform DVLA of any changes to their personal or vehicle details.”
