Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has joined counterparts from other English cities to call on government to offer support to taxi and private hire firms to comply with Clean Air Zone initiatives.
In a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, the local leaders have called for a review of policy to ensure adequate support for the sector which has already suffered due to Covid-19 lockdowns restricting travel.
Local governments in Sheffield, Portsmouth and Birmingham have also, along with Greater Manchester, been directed by government to put Clean Air Zones in place to tackle NO2 levels, affecting all commercial vehicles exceeding emissions standards. Leaders of these local authorities are calling on government to ensure there is sufficient funding for taxi drivers and operators to make the switch to greener vehicles. Calls have also been made to close legal loopholes that allow private hire vehicles to evade stricter local regulations by being licensed outside the area in which they operate.
Greater Manchester recently carried out two major consultations on proposals for a Clean Air Zone, and Minimum Licensing Standards for taxis and private hire, and the responses are currently being analysed by an independent organisation.
Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor, said:
The pandemic has hit the taxi and private hire trades hard and they have told us that COVID-19 – alongside government policies – poses a very real threat to the future of the industry. And when you factor in the potential costs of upgrading to Clean Air Zone vehicle standards, and the competition from out-of-town private hire services, there’s an even bigger impact on thousands of drivers who have families to support in what has been an incredibly tough year.
“Of course we are absolutely committed to improving air quality, reducing carbon emissions and improving standards for our locally licensed fleets. We’re taking action locally, but we need the government to come to the table and discuss ways it can properly support the sector. We need the right regulatory tools and funding to support the trade to move to cleaner, more accessible vehicles, and protect customers by making sure local private hire is regulated locally.”
A Greater Manchester-wide Clean Air Zone – the largest in the UK outside London – is expected to be introduced in Spring 2022 to tackle air pollution on local roads.