French motorist fined £25,000 for driving in low-emission zones in London
A French motorist has reportedly been fined almost £25,000 for driving his van in a low-emissions zone in London.
Fernando Neiva drives minibuses for French tourists to Britain.
Guardian reports that it has been slapped with 12 fines totaling £2,000 each after one of its drivers entered the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) after visiting London in October and November last year.
He received a further three fines totaling more than £700 for breaking ultra-low emissions (Ulez) regulations.
Mr Neiva’s van, driven by his associate Jason Bachubira, was cleared of the charge, although he was still fined for failing to pre-register his vehicle with Transport for London (TfL).
Mr Neiva said: “It’s just a small company and [we] try to follow the rules. So it was very scary, especially when you know you followed the rules.”
Any vehicle left unregistered is automatically classified as a high-emission vehicle.
Mr Neiva said he submitted evidence that his van had been exempted from the emissions charge six months ago, only to receive a reply that his appeal was being heard after five months.
When he later registered his car, TfL admitted he was exempt from the charges, but his fines have not yet been lifted.
Mr Bachubira added: “It’s frustrating to wait, especially when there’s no response from them and you keep getting PCNs that keep going up.”
The Ulez scheme requires drivers of older, more polluting vehicles to pay £12.50 a day to enter central London or face a £180 fine, which is halved if paid within 14 days.
Vehicles registered in the UK do not need to be separately registered with the scheme to prove their compliance.
The scheme is currently limited to the area within the London North and South Ring Roads, but is due to be expanded to cover the whole of the capital from August 29, when it will be extended to border areas of Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/ulez-london-french-driver-mini-bus-transport-for-london-tfl-b1074310.html
