Impact Of London's ULEZ Expansion On Fleet Managers?

Sadiq Khan

Mark Salisbury wrote a blog post on May 17, 2023.

Sadiq Khan made the ULEZ to fix the air quality problem in London but it's not all good.

The ULEZ policy is very radical. According to a poll by YouGov, most Londoners like it. 72% support using emissions charging to fix air pollution and congestion. But some small businesses are scared. They don't like the extra expenses. The Federation of Small Businesses said this.

The ULEZ got bigger in April 2019. It now covers more of London. In August 2023, it will get even bigger and cover all of Greater London. If a vehicle goes into the zone, it needs to have a certain level of emissions. Otherwise, the person who owns the car will have to pay a fee every day.

Transport for London provided the image. --- Transport for London gave us the image.

London's fleet managers are facing a big change that needs to be handled quickly and well. The zone for deliveries is now bigger, which will affect more destinations and cost more money. Being unprepared can be expensive. Fleet managers need to constantly keep their vehicles up to the new standards and watch their drivers' routes very carefully.

To comply with the ULEZ, you need to figure out which vehicles are included. The ULEZ applies to cars, vans, motorbikes from before 2006, and lorries and buses from before 2009. It's crucial to keep this in mind for fleet managers in outlying areas of London. This way, they can determine which vehicles need to be upgraded first.

Check emissions of remaining vehicles. ULEZ needs Euro 6 emissions standard. Vehicles that don't meet this standard must be upgraded or replaced.

Good news for fleet managers - there are choices! Upgrading current vehicles is the easiest and cheapest. A diesel particulate filter (DPF) system can help many diesel cars meet ULEZ regulations. But, replacements and maintenance will need to be frequent.

You can try using cleaner fuels like electric or buy newer, more efficient vehicles. Changing to these options might be costly in the beginning but can save more money in the future.

Electric vehicles have low costs because there is no fuel and maintenance is small. People who manage fleets know this already. They find electric vehicles attractive for quick, high-volume deliveries like those in QSRs. iCompario's research shows that because fuel costs have gone up, 86% of fleet managers have thought about getting EV and hybrid cars.

Changing your entire fleet can be expensive, but Blitz Motors offers a B2B lease model. This lowers the upfront costs and includes a fleet management platform. Kish, an independent restaurant chain inside the ULEZ, picked this solution. With 0 emissions, owner Massoud doesn't worry about extra fees. Plus, with branded eMopeds, he doesn't need to pay third-party delivery apps.

The ULEZ expansion is a big deal for London fleet managers. They can reduce the effect by upgrading or replacing vehicles with electric vehicles. It's important to check which vehicles are affected too. Doing all this can help keep the business ahead of the changes.

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