The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has confirmed that his vision for improving the air quality in the capital will involve expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
The initiative requires drivers of vehicles that don’t meet minimum eco standards to pay a £12.50 daily fee. (Regular driver in London? Here are some more affordable ULEZ friendly cars).
The ULEZ is already in place in inner and central London, but will soon extend to the whole capital.
From August 29, the ULEZ will extend to the whole capital – which Transport for London (TfL) estimates will impact more than 200,000 drivers of non-compliant vehicles.
But will it impact people driving to and from Heathrow Airport?
Does the ULEZ expansion include Heathrow Airport?
Heathrow Airport will be included in the ULEZ expansion.
This means that anyone driving to the airport – even if you’re just being a good friend and playing taxi – will have to pay the £12.50 fee.
For people driving in and out of the airport, they’ll have to pay that fee twice – so an extra £25 charge for some holidaymakers or good Samaritans offering lifts and pick-ups.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, has said to the Telegraph: ‘Drivers and taxi firms from outside London will be hit with a hidden charge, so Heathrow, TfL, and travel agents need to ensure they tell holidaymakers about the charge.’
For workers travelling to and from the airport, it’s unclear if there will be any allowances.
A Heathrow spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We are supportive of the sustainability objectives of the ULEZ extension, but we do have concerns that the timescales given will impact colleagues across the business.
‘We want to support colleagues as Heathrow transitions into the ULEZ and we are reviewing various options to do so.’
Will the ULEZ charge apply to other London airports?
London City Airport, is in the current ULEZ zone, so customers driving to and from there have had to pay the £12.50 charge since the scheme started in 2017.
However, popular airports like Stansted and Gatwick are outside of the ULEZ expansion zone, so, unless you’re driving through areas of London to get there, you won’t have to pay the fee.
MORE : Which UK cities have ULEZ or Clean Air Zones including Birmingham and Portsmouth
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