City of London chiefs today urged Mayor Sadiq Khan to stop issuing licences for diesel minicabs to help tackle the capital’s toxic air scandal.
The City of London Corporation also called for all diesel private hire vehicles to be banned in the capital by 2020.
Jon Averns, the City of London’s public protection director, said there were cleaner alternatives to diesel cabs, including hybrid and electric models.
The number of licensed minicab drivers in London has soared from 59,191 in 2009/10 to 116,957 in December last year and Mr Averns said diesel private hire vehicles were covering “huge distances” in central London.
He added: “They are releasing pollutants, including nitrogen dioxides and particulate matter which can cause asthma, heart disease and cancer. London’s businesses and residents want to see effective action from the authorities to reduce public exposure to air pollution in the short term.
“It is important that action is taken at the earliest opportunity to protect the health of Londoners.” The Corporation was responding to Mr Khan’s consultation on pollution-busting proposals, including a £10-a-day “T-charge” — a toxicity levy — on the most polluting vehicles in central London from later this year and extending the proposed Ultra Low Emission Zone to the North and South Circular roads, possibly introducing it a year early in 2019.
The local authority for the Square Mile recently banned the purchase of diesel vehicles for its own 300-strong fleet and is leading a London-wide crackdown on drivers who leave their engines idling. In 2015, it agreed a deal with minicab firm Addison Lee for its hybrid taxis to switch to electric mode in four areas of the City.
The Mayor’s Office said that from January 1, 2020 all new private hire vehicles under 18 months old and licensed for the first time would have to be zero-emissions capable.
