Transport for London (TfL) has vowed to get tough on motorists who do not pay fines for driving in the Ultra Low Emission Zone in non-compliant vehicles.
It says a “cohort of people” are refusing to pay penalty notices (PCNs), which has resulted in a “significant amount” of outstanding debt since the zone’s expansion last August, amounting to more than €370 million. of pounds sterling.
He will address the problem with a recruitment drive of people working on his investigation team so he can increase the use of bailiffs and clamps to target repeat offenders.
TfL will triple the workforce in its investigations team to increase enforcement of fines for non-payment of ultra-low emissions, which will involve greater use of bailiffs and wheel clamps.
TfL said enforcement officers have already recovered £25.6 million in outstanding debts from drivers who refused to pay fines in the last year.
It has also seized more than 1,400 vehicles from “persistent offenders” in the last 12 months and has generated more than £700,000 from sales of its engines.
However, the latest figures show there is still £370m in outstanding debt from unpaid PCNs.
In a letter to Mayor Sadiq Khan, the London Assembly called for the collection of these fines to be increased to allow for investment in wider public transport services in the capital.
Now TfL plans to triple the workforce of its investigation team to “boost work with enforcement officers to target those in polluting vehicles who refuse to pay daily rates”.
Doing so will also increase the use of other coercive measures, including the ability of bailiffs to visit an evader’s address, seize vehicles and seize engines before selling them at auction to recover debts.
“This is in addition to the additional charges that evaders must pay when they do not pay the fine within the legal deadline,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
The increased enforcement of ULEZ tariffs comes despite TfL’s claims that “more than 96 per cent” of vehicles in the area meet emissions standards.
There has been a dramatic increase in reports of motorists using tactics to evade the £12.50 per day ULEZ charge and refusing to pay PCNs issued for failed payments since Mayor Khan expanded the zone on 29 August 2023 to cover all the districts of the capital.
Fines for non-payment of charges amount to £180, although they are halved to £90 if paid within a fortnight.
If the registered possessor of a vehicle fails to pay the PCN, it is recorded as an unpaid debt and an order is made for its recovery.
This will then lead to a court order and enforcement action to recover any outstanding costs.
If a motorist decides to ignore a court order, bailiffs are sent to the registered owner’s address to recover any money owed.
Identified drivers who persistently fail to pay ULEZ PCNS may have their vehicles confiscated. The cars may then be sold at auction to recover the outstanding debt.
ULEZ evader receives £16,000 bill for unpaid PCNs
In July, TfL officers tracked a driver with 45 warrants against him to a new address, the department said.
They claimed they no longer owned the vehicle, but TfL’s investigation team established that the PCNs were received before the vehicle was sold.
The driver settled the balance, which had risen to almost £16,000.
Another repeat offender with 21 warrants against his vehicle was visited several times by TfL officers and made a series of payments to clear his outstanding debt of more than £7,800, he said.
The increased implementation of ULEZ charges comes despite TfL’s claims that “more than 96%” of vehicles meet the emissions standards needed to avoid the £12.50-a-day charge.
Enforcement agents also have the power to seize certain belongings of the debtor and use the proceeds to satisfy any outstanding debt.
In August, a car was located, seized and stolen after ignoring ten court orders.
The driver in question had received a total of 43 letters and had previously been visited by bailiffs five times.
Between August 2023 and July 2024, bailiffs seized and removed 1,429 cars.
Some 761 of these engines – more than half (53 percent) – were auctioned.
They generated a combined total of £710,147, which TfL says has gone towards debts accrued over the past 12 months.
Alex Williams, TfL’s director of customer and strategy, said: “We want to send a clear message to vehicle owners that if they receive a fine for driving in the zone, they should not ignore it.”
“Your penalty will be passed on to law enforcement officers to recover any fines you owe, and there is a risk that your vehicle and other property will be removed.”
While TfL promises to get tough on repeat offenders, it is also set to launch a pilot scheme to offer greater support to vulnerable sanction recipients in the coming months.
The plan will include new guidance for TfL staff to help those in difficulty, such as referring them to a partner organization that provides financial guidance.
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