GUIDE FOR VAN DRIVERS

Transcription

1 OPERATING LCVS IN LONDON GUIDE FOR VAN DRIVERS

2 VAN LEASE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE: OPERATING LCVS IN LONDON With increasing legislation, traffic management schemes and health and safety priorities, operating LCVs in London can present a number of challenges. This guide highlights the key facts to consider when running vehicles in the capital. LONDON CHARGES London Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ) A daily charge is applied to a central zone with the aim of reducing congestion in central London This charging scheme operates between 07:00 and 18:00, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) Organisations with six or more vehicles can register for Fleet Auto Pay to reduce costs. For details on Fleet Auto Pay consult: organisations/fleetautopay Note: For up-to-date details of tariffs and zone coverage consult Transport for London (TFL): 2

3 Low Emission Zone (LEZ) A daily charge is applied to a (larger) Greater London Zone with the aim of improving local air quality. This charging scheme operates 24 hours a day every day of the year. This charge is additional to the Congestion Charge and is required if vehicles do not meet the required European standard for emissions. The following vehicles are not charged: Larger vans and minibuses that meet the Euro III standard Lorries, buses, and coaches that meet Euro IV standard Cars and motorcycles. Dartford Crossing From 30 November 2014 all drivers (including LCVs) no longer pay at the barriers, but pay in advance or by midnight the day after the crossing. It continues to be free between 22:00 and 06:00. Payment can be made online, by phone, post or at retail outlets. For details on the payment options consult: news/dart-charge-dartford-crossingremote-payment 3

4 WHAT ABOUT RENTALS? If travelling within the London charging zones in a rental vehicle from Arval, customers are able to confirm with Arval whether the vehicle meets the required emission standards and whether the charge has been pre-paid by the hire company. Where the hire company has not made an arrangement, the customer will be required to pay the daily charge. FLEET OPERATOR RECOGNITION SCHEME (FORS) This scheme was introduced by Transport for London in 2008 to create an over-arching scheme in London which encompasses all aspects of safety, fuel efficiency, economical operations and vehicle emissions. FORS is voluntary and open to any company operating a fleet including vans, lorries, minibuses and coaches. The scheme has three levels: Bronze Covers all aspects of lawfulness and acts as a single point of reference for legislation. Silver All the above PLUS a focus on vehicle emissions and safety. Gold All the above PLUS driver and manager training. Operators with accreditation show that they are working to levels above the legal minimum requirements. As of the 14 January 2015 the FORS scheme has now been rolled out on a national basis. For more details about FORS including annual subscription and audit fees please visit: 4

5 I HAVE VAN EXCELLENCE ACCREDITATION; IS THIS RECOGNISED BY FORS? No. The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme does not recognise Van Excellence, so this does not automatically earn any credits towards the scheme. WHAT S NEXT FOR LONDON? Safer Lorry Scheme A new scheme relating to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes came into force on 1st September Under the scheme most vehicles that are currently exempt from national legislation for basic safety will have to be retrofitted. For example, this would be for construction vehicles, which are involved in a disproportionate number of fatal collisions involving cyclists and pedestrians. The scheme will operate across London, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, covering the same area as the Low Emission Zone. Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) TFL are to tighten the emission standards in the LEZ for petrol and diesel vehicles: Within the proposal, diesel HGVs, coaches, vans, minibuses and cars will need to meet Euro 6 standards by 7th September 2020 whilst petrol vehicles will need to meet Euro 4 standards. Non-compliant vehicles will be required to pay a daily charge (currently set at 12.50). For more information on the scheme please consult the TFL website: 5

6 WHAT S NEXT FOR OTHER LOCAL AUTHORITIES? Outside of London, 15 local authorities in England have been allocated prime funding from the Government (as of January 2015) to develop similar transport projects and recognition schemes, details of which can be found below: Lead authority Projects Aylesbury Vale Bath & North East Somerset DC Birmingham (West Midlands Group) Bradford Horsham District Council Leeds City Council Lewes Council Maidstone Borough Council Newcastle Upon Tyne (joint bid with Gateshead MBC) Reading Borough Council Sheffield City Council (joint bid with South Yorkshire Group) Southampton Warwick District Council Waverley Project to define emissions reduction strategies, including LEZ, LES toolkit, green procurement Storrington Traffic Fleet Survey & LEZ Feasibility Assessment Sussex Low Emission Zone feasibility assessment project ( ) LEZ feasibility study and monitoring Tender Project: feasibility of introducing LEZs within Warwick District Traffic management and Low Emission Feasibility Study York City Council a) LEZ feasibility study, and b) Fleet Recognition Scheme Source: 6

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8 Arval UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Arval UK Ltd, Whitehill House, Windmill Hill, Swindon, SN5 6PE. Registration number VAT number GB