Certainly seems to have generated a wee bit of publicity and wider comment.
On the other hand, this piece in the Scottish edition of the Times has latched on to the same issue that maybe stood out for me as something that it was maybe a misjudgement to highlight in the public domain. But who knows...
But maybe the (brief) comments below from Dougie McPherson of Glasgow Taxis Limited are something of a damage limitation exercise in PR terms?
But I'd guess some drivers would have preferred that the issue hadn't been aired in public
(Potentially confusingly, Glasgow's evening newspaper which used to be called the Evening Times (I think) more recently rebranded itself as simply the Glasgow Times. But this is actually from the Scottish edition of the Times of London, ie the well known international newspaper of record.)
Taxi drivers in Glasgow’s LEZ switching off retrofitted exhaustshttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/glas ... -02jgx9j9pThe exhausts, which convert toxic nitrogen oxide into a harmless gas, are expensive to install and many have now become faultyTaxi drivers are avoiding fines in Glasgow’s low emission zone by removing or switching off retrofitted exhausts, it has been claimed.
Drivers who paid thousands to retrofit their polluting cars later found that the systems caused problems or stopped working altogether.
The drivers then turn off the retrofit systems, which convert toxic nitrogen oxide into a harmless gas, but still continue to drive a “compliant” car.
The loophole was discussed in a new podcast, Talking Taxis, during an episode about the low emission zone (LEZ) in Glasgow city centre. “There’s vehicles now driving about with retrofit exhausts on them that are switched off,” David Farrell, a taxi driver, told the podcast.
Fellow driver John Lundie added: “The engines that have been retrofitted are now developing a number of problems. Some people have managed to switch it off.”
The drivers said the costs of retrofits have soared beyond what was originally covered in a government grant.
The only garage in Glasgow which installed retrofits has also stopped doing so, forcing taxi operators to travel to Chester and Liverpool for the service, the podcast said.
Taxi drivers have until June 1, 2024, to ensure their vehicle is compliant with the LEZ, after securing an extension. The Glasgow LEZ came into force in June 2023.
Diesel-powered vehicles registered after September 2015 and petrol vehicles registered after January 2006 will meet the required standards.
Any motorist caught entering the zone in a non-compliant vehicle will be fined £60. Retrofitting is intended to improve air quality and comes with sensors to monitor emissions.
The Scottish government poured more than £1 million into a retrofit fund for small taxi owners operating in Edinburgh and Glasgow so that older vehicles could meet LEZ standards. Grants of up to £10,000 were available to cover up to 80 per cent of the cost of a retrofit system.
In December 2021, figures from Glasgow city council showed that 1,024 taxis were not compliant with the LEZ. Current data shows that more than 300 taxis still don’t meet the emission requirements and will not be able to drive in the city centre after the June deadline.
Dougie McPherson, who is also chairman of Glasgow Taxis Ltd, and spoke on the podcast, told The Times that the government has promised to consider applications for taxis to continue operating beyond the deadline if they prove that they are “working towards” becoming compliant. He added that if drivers are switching their retrofit systems off it is a “temporary measure” before repairs are available.
In 2021, efforts to retrofit diesel buses were found to be unreliable and even risked increasing harmful emissions. More than £12 million was set aside to “green” 756 buses. However, documents released by Transport Scotland revealed that reductions in nitrogen oxide emissions deteriorated significantly in many retrofitted buses. The Times also reported that sensors which capture real-time emissions were recording incomplete data.
The claim that taxi drivers were avoiding fines by turning off their retrofitted systems comes after almost 1,400 drivers who breached the LEZ have avoided fines after the council took too long to issue them.