ULEZ Expansion Costs London Drivers £12m in First Month, Spurs Controversy and Criticism

57,000 drivers of non-compliant vehicles paid the ULEZ charge in September, raising £21 million for TfL; however, the widespread criticism and protests spotlight the need for balancing environmental concerns with cost of living.

• The expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) cost London drivers £12 million in its first month, with around 57,000 non-compliant vehicles paying the daily £12.50 charge, totaling £21 million in revenue for Transport for London (TfL).
• The number of non-compliant vehicles traveling in the ULEZ zone per day reduced from 129,000 (14.9%) in May 2022, to 80,000 (4.8%) across September 2023, thus resulting in a 95% compliance rate for the newly expanded ULEZ zone.
• Opponents, including the Conservative Party and many lower-income Londoners, criticize the measure as an unfair burden, with Susan Hall, Conservative Party candidate for Mayor of London, pledging to scrap the expansion if elected.
• Sadiq Khan, the current Mayor of London, defends the policy, arguing that by 2026-27, TfL will no longer profit from ULEZ as vehicle compliance increases and citing evidence of improved air quality and a 10 percentage point increase in vehicle compliance since the ULEZ expansion was proposed in May 2022.
• Despite the controversy, a YouGov survey for ITV in August 2023 showed that 47% of respondents supported the expansion of ULEZ to cover all London boroughs, with opposition at 42%.

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