Sadiq Khan. His is a name that coach operators will be sick of hearing, and for good reason. Not least among them is the fact that London’s ULEZ is now less than 11 months away.
To access the central area from 8 April 2019, you will have a choice: Use a Euro 6-compliant coach, or pay a £100 daily penalty.
It sounds simple. But for operators who want to comply and do their bit for air quality, yet are not in the position to replace large chunks of their fleets, the option to retrofit older vehicles to achieve Euro 6 standards is quite the conundrum.
“Coaches are a challenge regarding retrofit,” says one vehicle technology expert. That’s not what the industry needs to hear. Developing retrofit kits takes time; so does certifying them, and there are fewer than 240 working days before the ULEZ begins.
Additionally, TfL has as yet offered no guidance on how retrofitted vehicles will be administered.
DVSA and the Traffic Commissioners now take a strict line on emissions cheats, but it’s not clear how – or if – anything will be required to ensure that upgraded vehicles comply when in use, and not just when being certified. Will some kind of on-board telemetry be mandated?
Rates for London work may increase come April 2019 on the basis of supply and demand of Euro 6 coaches. But it’s very difficult to argue that the industry has not been treated shabbily as part of one man’s political aspirations.
