Request ID: FOI-1150-2223 Date published: 23 August 2022
You asked
Hi Team
please provide me with the number of people or vehicles who have paid the congestion charge in error. That is to say, those people who mistakenly thought they had entered the zone and consequently paid the daily charge when there was no need to do so.
Please break this down in the following way.
by year since first introduced
the number of charges paid in error per year
the amount of money taken per year as a result of error
and finally, the number of refunds given because of any such requests per year due to this error
if you wish any further information to assist in my request, please let me know?
Please also acknowledge receipt of my request
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-1150-2223
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 8th August 2022 asking for information about the Congestion Charge scheme.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“Please provide me with the number of people or vehicles who have paid the congestion charge in error. That is to say, those people who mistakenly thought they had entered the zone and consequently paid the daily charge when there was no need to do so.
Please break this down in the following way. by year since first introduced the number of charges paid in error per year the amount of money taken per year as a result of error and finally, the number of refunds given because of any such requests per year due to this error.”
I am afraid that TfL does not hold the requested information. To expalin why, it may be useful if I outline how we operate the Congestion Charging schemes. The schemes operates using Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology. Each entry point to, and exit from, the zones are clearly signed and as a vehicle enters, leaves or drives within the zone its registration is recorded along with an image of the vehicle. When the three day payment period has expired, the list of vehicles observed in the zone is compared against the vehicles for which a charge has been paid and those which are 100% discounted, exempt from the charges or listed on an Auto Pay account. Where a match is found the image and record of the vehicle is deleted. If no match is found the details are retained for enforcement purposes. As the records of vehicles which have driven in the zone is not verified until the payment period has expired we are unable to offer a service whereby motorists can immediately verify if they have driven in the zone. In addition, as the records of vehicles for which a charge has been paid are deleted we are unable to retrospectively verify whether a vehicle, for which a charge has been paid, has been in the zone. In light of this we do not hold the information requested.
The closest proxy we hold to the information you require (although not an exact equivalence) would be through refund requests. However, there is no way of automatically filtering these requests to find only those that relate to charges paid in error. Rather, to source this information we would have to manually review each such request to determine the reason it was submitted. With around 5,000 refund requests submitted per month it is not possible to review them all within the £450 costs limit for responding to FOI cases, as set out under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
