Taxi fares go up to make cabs greener
Minimum taxi fares are to jump by 10 per cent to pay for the cost of making London's black cabs more eco-friendly.
A new fixed levy of 20p will be added to every journey to help cabbies upgrade their vehicles to meet tough European standards.
Mayor Ken Livingstone announced the change today. It will be introduced from April on top of the annual increase in fares.
It will mean the minimum fare - currently ?2 - will increase to ?2.20. The levy will be reviewed after three years.
It comes on top of a move to stop cabbies issuing blank receipts to prevent fiddling of expenses by passengers. Drivers, who will have to fit a ?100 machine to print receipts, fear this could hit trade.
Mr Livingstone, whose Transport for London agency includes the Public Carriage Office, insists the capital's 20,100 black cabs must meet strict emissions rules by 2007.
Only 3,600 cabs now meet the "Euro 3" standard. The Mayor hopes the extra revenue will encourage drivers to fit a ?2,500 pollution filter, convert to liquefied petroleum gas or bring forward the purchase of a new vehicle.
Taxis are responsible for 24 per cent of fine-particle and 12 per cent of nitrogen-oxide pollution in central London. These emissions can cause heart and lung diseases and trigger breathing problems.
Mr Livingstone said: "London-has the worst air quality in the UK, and air pollution is estimated to cause 1,600 premature deaths every year in London. For just 20p a journey we will see major health benefits for all Londoners."
He said the move would also protect the health of cabbies.
Bob Oddy, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, said those with modern cabs would benefit while those with older vehicles were less happy.
He added: "Some will feel they're sitting in fumes all day and will benefit. Others will feel they're being picked on and they should have been allowed a natural wastage of the vehicles."
Since October 2002 any newly-licensed cab has had to meet the Euro 3 standard. A series of deadlines, starting in July 2006, has been set for older vehicles.
Today's announcement is part of a drive to improve air quality in the capital. By 2007, Mr Livingstone aims to have a "low emission zone" in place which would also see the most polluting lorries banned.
