London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there would be a “clampdown” in a bid to recoup the £376m owed to Transport for London (TfL) in unpaid ultra low emission zone (Ulez) fines.
Mr Khan told the London Assembly TfL was “not unique” in having unpaid penalty charge notices (PCNs), and that 96% of vehicles in the capital were compliant with emission standards so faced no charge.
Ulez was expanded to all of London’s 32 boroughs in August 2023 to tackle air pollution across the capital.
Neil Garratt, a Conservative assembly member, said the amount owed was “alarming” and the Ulez expansion was hitting the lowest paid.
The PCNs are issued when drivers of non-compliant vehicles fail to pay the £12.50 daily charge to drive within the zone.
The fine is £180 but this can be reduced by half if paid within two weeks, according to TfL’s website.
Mr Khan said the majority of people driving non-compliant vehicles paid the daily charge, meaning only 0.27% of total drivers (including those driving compliant vehicles) received a PCN.
He told assembly members that TfL was working on “new ways of recovering debt” including working with the Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
“TfL is also increasing the pursuit of civil recovery through the use of county court judgements and other methods,” he said.
“We will not stop until all avenues are exhausted and every penny we can recover is received.”
The mayor said part of the reason behind the ballooning PCN debt was the fact that when drivers contested the fine, it could take several months to reach a final decision through independent arbitration.