£4.45 million fund to help Greater Manchester taxi drivers upgrade vehicles

Locally licensed taxi drivers in Greater Manchester are to benefit from a new £4.45 million fund to help them upgrade to lower-emission vehicles.

Under plans, private hire vehicles owners licensed with a Greater Manchester authority will be able to access either a £5,000 interest free loan, or a £1,000 non-repayable grant to help fund the switch to a lower-emission vehicle through the Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) Support Fund. The fund will sit alongside an £8 million fund for black cab drivers, and forms part of the city-region’s investment-led approach to improving air quality.

The launch of the fund comes in response to a three-month engagement between Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and the taxi trade, which asked for more support from the city-region to switch to modern, cleaner vehicles.

Approximately one in 10 (around 1,300) private hire vehicles currently licensed in Greater Manchester are not compliant with emission standards. It’s expected that, if approved by GMCA, the fund could open for applications in May.

The new private hire fund would complement the existing £8 million fund to help hackney (black cab) owners to make the switch. Launched in December last year, over 190 drivers have already applied to that fund, with over £1.5 million of non-repayable grants already approved. 

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“Taxi and private hire drivers are a vital part of our transport system, and we want them to be amongst the cleanest, safest and most trusted in the country.

“We recognise the challenges faced by drivers, and we’re determined to support them as we move towards cleaner air, while ensuring high standards and public safety.

“This funding – and that for black cab drivers – gives real, practical help to those who want to upgrade to cleaner vehicles.”

The proposals further demonstrate Greater Manchester’s commitment to improving air quality, with the latest update to the Air Quality Administration Committee detailing how the city region is delivering all the measures agreed with government to meet legal limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO?) and without the need for a charging Clean Air Zones. It includes introduction of more electric Bee Network buses and electrification of bus depots.