CAZ CRISIS...CAZ CRISIS GLASGOW PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER SAYS LEZ IS


COSTING HUNDREDS AND IT’S ONLY BEEN A MONTH


An Uber driver has hit out at the new low-emission zone in Glasgow, saying that the new rules are costing him hundreds of pounds. The scheme was introduced on June 1 in an effort to improve air quality in the city, and support wider climate change targets. The council has previously said the main cause of Glasgow’s nitrogen dioxide levels was traffic. But private hire drivers claim they have been left to pay the price. New rules mean motorists can be slapped with penalties from £60 to £480 for bringing non-compliant vehicles into the LEZ. Petrol cars and vans will need to have engines at the Euro


4


standard, which generally applies to vehicles registered after 2006. Diesel-powered cars and vans will need to be at the Euro 6 standard, mainly applying to


comply with the regulations. If I don’t do that, I can’t work.” Colin Dodd, the lead GMB union representative in Scotland, also spoke out on behalf of cab drivers who have been affected by the new shake up.


vehicles


registered after 2015. Glasgow based Uber driver, Saleem Dean, 60, spoke to the Scottish Sun about the huge financial burden these new restrictions have placed on him. He has to shell out thousands of pounds for a new car that will comply with the LEZ rules so he can keep working in the city centre. He said: “It cost me £39,000 to change my car so I had a new one that worked for the LEZ zone. I work for Uber, they don’t help with the expenses, I have to pay it myself. “It has affected me a lot. I’m worried about the repayments which are £620 a month. Then again cars for rent are £200 per week, so we’re stuck. “What can I say? We have to


PHTM JULY 2023


He said although he believes the city council is aiming to make changes that would be possible in a perfect world, it will lead to business being driven out of Glasgow city centre. The trade union rep thinks punters will start shopping and partying outside of the LEZ areas to avoid fines that come with driving into Glasgow, which will also affect trade for taxi drivers. He said: “There are a number of drivers who actually had to give up their cars and hand the plates back because of the situation. “I’m a hackney driver but I don’t want to buy a 70 grand vehicle, which is really a hybrid – it’s not even electric. Especially after Covid, you really don’t want to take a chance on making that purchase because of the risk involved. “We didn’t get much help from the Scottish Government during the pandemic. That’s why so many


probably don’t want to go and spend 70 grand - it’s too much. “I drive in Glasgow and Edinburgh and although you see one or two people cycling, it’s not the amounts they say it is. Even in this nice hot weather, I’ve seen four people cycling. Where are the masses of people jumping on a bike? “They’ve used the money for infrastructure and they’ve used it all wrong on the way they’ve designed the cycle lanes. They’ve rushed it and wasted a lot of money on it. “LEZ will actually force people to move outside of the zones for business. A lot of people will start shopping at the Fort


and


Braehead because they can park there without getting fined. “Somebody sent me a photograph of the city centre and it looked deserted even during the day.” A Glasgow City Council spokes- woman said: “Glasgow’s plan to phase in a city centre LEZ was announced in 2018 and since then there has been an extensive programme of communications and engagement to raise aware- ness of the scheme, its timescale for introduction and the availability of funding to ease compliance. “Practical, targeted assistance from the Scottish Government to help prepare those most affected by the introduction of LEZs has since 2019 included funding for households and micro-businesses, and a separate retrofit fund including support for taxi drivers. In this time £1.4M in grants have been paid to Glasgow region taxi operators for vehicle retrofits, with a further £1.1M awarded.


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