The Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) produced more than £220 million last year, documents reveal.
According to numbers acquired by the BBC, the Ulez raised a total of £224,633,003 in 2022.
A third of the funds came through penalty charge notifications (PCNs), with the remainder coming from daily charge payments.
TfL has stated that the funds would be used to pay “set-up costs” for the Ulez expansion as well as “running and improving” the rest of London’s transport network.
On August 29, the zone will be expanded to encompass all of Greater London.
Any vehicle operating inside the zone must meet Ulez emission standards or pay a daily fee of £12.50. Failure to pay results in a PCN of £180, which is reduced to £90 if paid within a week.
Last year, daily charges produced £151.3 million, with PCNs generating £73.3 million.
A spokeswoman for Mayor Sadiq Khan said earlier this month: “The Ulez is not designed to be a money-making scheme and within a few years, as compliance increases, it will make a net loss — any net proceeds are ring-fenced and reinvested into London’s transport network.”
The Ulez, which covers the same area as the present central London congestion zone, was inaugurated in April 2019. The zone was extended to include the North and South Circular roads in October 2021, greatly increasing the number of possibly impacted drivers.
The Ulez generated its most money in a single month shortly after that expansion, in December 2021, pulling in almost to £28 million.
However, the income has progressively fallen since then. According to TfL, this is due to individuals switching to low-emission vehicles.
Nick Rogers AM, City Hall Conservatives transport spokesperson, said: “Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion takes money from charities, small businesses and people on low incomes, while doing next to nothing to improve air quality.
“The figures released today show once again that Sadiq Khan is more interested in making money than he is in tackling air pollution.”
Mr Khan has stated that the Ulez expansion will help five million Londoners to breathe healthier air while also saving lives. A £110 million scrappage plan was launched earlier this year to let small companies, charities, and low-income Londoners to apply for incentives to offset the cost of Ulez-compliant vehicles.
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Mr Rogers’ conclusion that the expansion will do “next to nothing to improve air quality” is based on a formal evaluation report conducted by the firm Jacobs on the impact of the enlarged Ulez.
Conversely, Professor Frank Kelly, a world specialist on the health impacts of air pollution, has stated that expanding the Ulez “as soon as possible” will benefit Londoners’ health.