Bristol Clean Air Zone Announcement: When it will launch, what vehicles will be charged and how much it will cost

Bristol’s Clean Air Zone will be introduced next summer, mayor Marvin Rees said today (November 5), as the scheme gained £42 million in Government backing.

The funding announced will pay for greener transport initiatives as well as loans and grants for businesses and the public to help them upgrade older vehicles.

The zone will cover an area of central Bristol and will mean older and more polluting vehicles will be charged a daily rate starting at £9.

Mr Rees, speaking to the media ahead of the announcement, said the idea of the scheme was to ultimately help the city meet clean air targets by 2023.

But head of city transport, Adam Crowther, said the zone will mean an estimated 2,000 fewer daily car journeys in the city centre.

The bulk of the Government funding, £32 million, will go toward helping businesses upgrade lorries, vans and taxis.

A total of £5.9 million will go toward helping people switch to public transport through schemes like free bus tickets and electric bike loans.

While £1.8 million will go toward loans and grants to help people on low incomes upgrade their vehicles, with the low-income threshold set to rise from £26,000 to £27,000 in spring next year.

The rest of the cash, just over £4 million, will go to bus and coach companies, and to freight companies to help them switch to green transport.

Mr Rees said: “This is a real win for the city.

“We are introducing one of the most wide-ranging clean air zones in the UK which will see us not only reduce air pollution but also help people change how they travel, delivering a cleaner, greener and healthier city.

“We are tackling a climate emergency, but we also have people facing financial crisis. We can’t look at these two things in isolation.

“We have taken our time to find a way to clean up our air while not adding huge financial strain to people that live and work in our city.”

Where will the zone be?

The size of the zone and its boundary has been designed to meet air quality targets in the central area where air quality is worst in the shortest possible time.

It centres on the city centre, including the main shopping and business quarters, as well as the Cumberland Basin and Hotwells.

What vehicles will be charged

Old and more polluting vehicles will be charged - about 29 per cent of vehicles in the city, some 45,000.

Charges would not apply to Euro 4, 5 and 6 petrol vehicles (roughly 2006 onwards).

Charges would not apply to Euro 6 diesel vehicles (roughly end of 2015 onwards).

You can use the government’s compliance checking tool to check if your vehicle would be charged.

How much will it cost

Private petrol and diesel cars will be charged £9, along with taxis and LGVs.

HGVs, buses and coaches will be charged £100.

What happens now

The city council will continue discussions with the Government to finalise an exact start date for the scheme.

Meanwhile, people will be able to apply for low-income support measures, including help to upgrade their car, in the New Year.