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Owners of cars in London which do not comply with the capital’s utra low emission zone (Ulez) standards will be able to send their cars to Ukraine from today, to support the country’s humanitarian and medical needs.
In an initiative by Transport for London, British-Ukrainian Aid (Bua) and the Embassy of Ukraine, applicants to the Ulez scrappage scheme can donate their vehicle in exchange for the same payment they would otherwise have received.
The vehicles will be used for transporting vulnerable populations, medical personnel and aid. Ukraine’s infrastructure has been badly damaged since the start of the Russian invasion in March 2022, with access to healthcare impaired as a result.
The scheme will be open to all London residents, small businesses and charities with eligible vehicles, subject to availability.
Under Ulez rules, vehicles must meet Euro 4 emissions standards, meaning they produce no more than 1g per kilometre of carbon monoxide, total hydro carbon emissions of no more than 0.10g per km and nitric oxide emissions of no more than 0.08 per km.
Cars which do not comply must pay £12.50 a day to drive within the zone, which was first introduced in Central London in 2019 and expanded across all London boroughs in August 2023. According to the Mayor’s office, around 200,000 cars driving in London on an average day are non-compliant.
The Ulez charge has come alongside rising premiums for car insurance and higher petrol and diesel costs. Though pump prices have fallen back from their peak following the outbreak of the Ukraine war, they remain at elevated levels.
The Mayor of London has set aside £210mn for a scrappage scheme, under which car owners can apply for up to £2,000 and motorcycle owners £1,000. Wheelchair accessible vehicle owners can claim £10,000 for scrapping or £6,000 retrofitting.
The London Ambulance Service is also donating 50 decommissioned ambulances to Ukraine. Although its vehicles are not charged to drive in the Ulez, it is in the process of decommissioning non-compliant vehicles.
“Londoners have a long history of helping people in need beyond the UK’s borders — this expansion of the scheme will allow them to play a role in enabling increased access to vital humanitarian and medical aid for those affected by the war,” said Christina Calderato, Transport for London’s director of transport strategy and policy.
Eligible vehicle owners will be able to apply on TfL’s website, and Bua will facilitate the delivery of the vehicles to Ukraine and provide documents for customers to get their grant.
Eleanor Brown, an administrator from Forest Hill, south London, plans to donate her Land Rover to the scheme.
“I couldn’t bear the idea of it having to be scrapped, so this new scheme from TfL is the perfect outcome. I hope that many other vehicles can do the same,” she said.
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