The city council is giving grants of up to £16,000 per coach, bus or HGV to upgrade to Euro 6, subject to criteria being met. Coaches and buses can apply for funding for up to 10 vehicles; truck operators can apply for up to five.
The daily charge for entering the CAZ in a non-Euro 6 vehicle will be £50.
An exemption is being approved for specialist HGVs. They will not have to pay if they cannot be retrofitted or upgraded for less than £200,000; operate for less than three hours a day in the CAZ; and are classified as a low-loader, breakdown truck or in special purpose tax classes.
Leeds Councillor James Lewis says: “Helping owners of affected vehicles switch to less polluting models that won’t be charged is the best way to support local business. It’s also the best way to improve air quality in Leeds before the charging zone’s introduction.
“I strongly encourage every affected business to visit our website today and find out more about what they need to do to prepare for the zone and explore financial support available.”
Both Leeds’ and Birmingham’s CAZes have been delayed to July 2020 at the earliest, with both city councils blaming central government, which failed to deliver the required vehicle checker tool in time.
Leeds has secured £6m of government funding for 300 ANPR cameras to police the CAZ. They are currently being installed at over 100 junctions around the perimeter of the zone. The work is expected to finish in December.
