Request ID: FOI-4613-2324 Date published: 17 May 2024
You asked
Since the expansion of the ULEZ scheme at the end of August 2023 -
1) How many ULEZ fines have been issued? And what is the total worth of these fines?
2) How many ULEZ fines have been paid? And what is the total paid in £?
3) How many ULEZ fines have NOT been paid or are outstanding? And what does this total in £?
4) Any information on WHY they haven't been paid. ie. how many due to details unavailable in DVLA database, how many due to obscured number plate?
5) How much revenue has been generated by the scheme? Of which, how much is through penalties?
6) How much has been spent on repairs due to suspected intentional damage / vandalism?
7) Of the unpaid fines - what is the largest amount (in number of fines and total bill in £) unpaid related to a single vehicle / driver?
Further to above -
8) What percentage of ULEZ fines issued since the expansion in August 2023 remain unpaid?
9) What percentage of ULEZ fines were unpaid before the expansion - between the start of the ULEZ scheme and the expansion in Aug 2023?
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-4613-2324
Thank you for your request received on 18 March 2024 asking for information about Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) penalty charge notices (PCNs). Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. On 29 August 2023 the ULEZ was expanded to cover all London boroughs. Following the launch of the expansion, between 29 August and 25 September 2023, warning notices were issued to owners of non-compliant vehicles who had not paid the ULEZ charge after driving in the zone. Warning notices were issued to ensure the correct action was taken in the future and to allow for any genuine mistakes that may have occurred. Since 26 September 2023, PCNs have been issued for contraventions. You asked : Since the expansion of the ULEZ scheme (29 August 2023) at the end of August 2023 – 1) How many ULEZ fines have been issued? And what is the total worth of these fines? Since 26 September 2023 until 26 April 2024, 1,348,938 ULEZ PCNs have been issued. ULEZ PCNs are issued at £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days. If the PCN remains unpaid within 28 days of the PCN being issued, a Charge Certificate (CC) may be issued at £270. Should the PCN remain unpaid within 14 days of the issue of the CC, an Order for Recovery (OfR) is issued at £279. 2) How many ULEZ fines have been paid? And what is the total paid in £? From 29 August to 26 April 2024, 282,448 PCNs have been paid totalling £28,539,158. Please note that this figure will increase over time as more penalties are paid. Any net revenue raised through the ULEZ is reinvested back into running and improving London’s public transport network. The ULEZ is projected to stop making a surplus by 2026/2027 as compliance levels continue to increase.
3) How many ULEZ fines have NOT been paid or are outstanding? And what does this total in £?
As of 26 April 2024, 948,590 PCNs are outstanding totalling £ 218,316,553. Please note, this figure will decrease as more penalties are paid over time. If you’ve received a PCN you can pay the penalty at a 50 per cent discount within 14 days, or you have up to 28 days to pay the penalty in full, or challenge the PCN by making a representation. When a representation is received and considered, a request for further evidence may be made and the PCN will remain frozen while the information requested is provided. If the representation is rejected a further right of appeal to an Independent Adjudicator at London Tribunals is granted. This process can take up to three months, meaning it can be some time before an accurate figure of PCNs paid can be recorded. 4) Any information on WHY they haven't been paid. ie. how many due to details unavailable in DVLA database, how many due to obscured number plate? We do not hold information on why a PCN has not been paid. On receipt of a PCN a motorist has 28 days to pay the PCN or to make a representation challenging the penalty. On receipt of a representation the progression of the penalty is put on hold while a decision is taken whether it is accepted or rejected. When the representation is accepted the PCN is cancelled. If the representation is rejected the motorist is granted a further opportunity to pay the PCN or to make an appeal to the Independent Adjudicator at London Tribunals. The process can take several months to complete and therefore, it is not unusual for payment of a PCN to be received many weeks after it has been issued. As the PCN figures above relate to PCNs issued until late April we expect more penalties will be paid over time. 5) How much revenue has been generated by the scheme? Of which, how much is through penalties? Charge income From 29 August 2023 to 10 of March 2024 (last date we have data for) income from charges was £115.8m. PCN income Currently penalty charge income can only be estimated on a periodic (28 day) accounting basis as this takes into account the appropriate provisions for the non-payment of the charges. Whilst scheme enforcement through the issuing of penalty charges commenced on 29 September 2023, our reporting currently covers the 5 accounting periods from 15 October 2023 to 2 March 2024. Over these periods TfL recognised £43.8m of net penalty charge income. 6) How much has been spent on repairs due to suspected intentional damage / vandalism? In accordance with the EIR, we are not obliged to supply this information as it is subject to a statutory exception to the right of access to information under regulations R12(5)(a) – international relations, defence, national security & public safety (in this instance specifically public safety), regulation 12(5)(b) – the course of justice, the ability of a person to receive a fair trial or the ability of the public authority to conduct and inquiry of a criminal or disciplinary nature – (in this instance specifically the course of justice), and regulation 12(5)(e) – confidentially of commercial or industrial information where such confidentiality is provide by law to protect a legitimate economic interest.
Please refer to the decision notices issued by the Information Commissioner regarding the application of these exceptions: https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/decision-notices/2024/4028410/ic-277488-p1r5.pdf https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/decision-notices/2024/4028192/ic-263495-n0p0.pdf https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/decision-notices/2024/4028098/ic-262996-q1d5.pdf 7) Of the unpaid fines - what is the largest amount (in number of fines and total bill in £) unpaid related to a single vehicle / driver? – Of the 948,590 PCNs outstanding, 200 have been issued to a single vehicle totalling £47,682. We encourage anyone who has received a PCN to contact us, particularly if they are struggling with any difficulties or hardship. Unpaid PCNs are passed on to our debt recovery services and can lead to further action. Further to above - 8) What percentage of ULEZ fines issued since the expansion in August 2023 remain unpaid? Of the 1,348,938 PCN issued since the expansion 974,590, 70.4 % are currently outstanding with 109,186 unique vehicles having outstanding penalties. Please note that the number of outstanding PCNs paid over time will increase. 9) What percentage of ULEZ fines were unpaid before the expansion - between the start of the ULEZ scheme and the expansion in Aug 2023? (launch of the ULEZ on 8 April 2019 - 29 August 2023) The ULEZ was launched on 8 April 2019 to cover the same area of central London as the Congestion Charging zone. As the scheme was new between 8 April and 10 May 2019 we issued warning notices rather the PCNs. The scheme was suspended from 23 March to 17 May 2020 in response to the Covid 19 pandemic. In order to ensure that motorists were aware that the scheme had been reinstated, between 18 and 29 May 2020 we issued warning notices rather than PCNs. On 25 October 2021 the ULEZ was expanded to cover the area up to but not including the North and South Circular roads. As the expansion was new between 25 October 2021 and 22 November 2021 we issued warning notices rather than PCNs. Prior to the expansion of the ULEZ, 4,271,940 PCNs were issued to 1,253,623 unique vehicles. Of these, 1,828,390 PCNs, 42.8%, remain outstanding with 156,417 unique vehicles having outstanding penalties.
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
