Last weekend marked an important, but largely unnoticed date. It is now less than a year until the London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) comes into force on 8 April 2019.
Operating 24/7 in the same area as the current congestion charging zone (i.e. the central core of London), it will require all coaches, buses and minibuses to comply with Euro 6 emission standards, or pay a daily charge (visit https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone).
While some operators have brought forward Euro 6 purchases with the aim of having sufficient coaches to cover their work, penalty-free, that ignores the many very good operators who traditionally only run mid-life coaches.
We’ve seen a gentle move with some of those now buying new. And, in the absence of any retrofit solutions for coaches (all those currently available are bus only), this is the only option.
And, this is just the start. The next steps, if plans go ahead as proposed, will be to include most of London, then all of it, while other cities around Britain – including Scotland and Wales – are also eyeing Euro 6-only zones in a bid to meet air quality legislation.
By 2020, like many towns and cities in mainland Europe, chunks of Great Britain will be Euro 6 only.
This has wider ramifications beyond hire rates: Impacting depreciation, the asset base and, for some, even their livelihood. If you haven’t already done so, you need to make crucial decisions very soon.
