The Sheffield Clean Air Zone (CAZ) began operation on Monday 27 February, bringing with it a £50 daily charge for non-Euro VI or better coaches and buses.
Covering the city centre and inner ring road, the CAZ has various exemptions in place for PCVs. It has been clarified by Sheffield City Council (SCC) that for a coach accessible to disabled people to qualify for one of those, it needs an Accessibility Certificate confirming that it complies with Schedule 1 of PSVAR, which governs facilities for a wheelchair user.
The local authority originally did not state whether PSVAR compliance would be required to achieve the accessible coach exemption, but clarification came after the involvement of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT). There are no plans to withdraw the PSVAR exemption after a defined length of time, SCC has said.
CPT has also secured a relaxation to an exemption around educational school trips. That now can be applied where the vehicle in question is travelling through the CAZ on a direct route, in addition to when the activity is located within the Zone. Wording on the SCC website makes clear that this exemption applies only where the students carried are under 19 years of age.
Exemptions must be applied for individually via a web portal. Funding is available to coach operators based in Sheffield or Rotherham towards the upgrade or replacement of non-compliant vehicles to a maximum of three per business, although it comes with the stipulation that the vehicle in question must have entered the CAZ at least twice a week each week for the past 12 months.
Speaking about how the CAZ will affect businesses with non-compliant vehicles, Co-Chair of SCC’s Transport Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee Cllr Mazher Iqbal says: “We are very aware of the challenges the introduction of the CAZ poses for businesses and vehicle owners, and we empathise with those affected.
“We know it may impact some financially. That is why we worked hard to secure the best financial package we could from the government for those that need support once the changes are live.”
The Sheffield CAZ is the second Clean Air Zone in England to begin in 2023. It follows the Newcastle and Gateshead CAZ, which commenced on 30 January. In Scotland, the Glasgow Low Emission Zone will enter full operation – including the introduction of penalty charges for all non-compliant vehicles – on 1 June.
