How many vehicles are incorrectly charged Ulez based on DVLA registation omissions
Request ID: FOI-2457-2223 Date published: 30 January 2023
You asked
How many requests does TFL receive per year for changes to emission class or other incorrect classification eg c02 rating etc, i.e a car or motorcycle that is defined as not ulez compliant but is in fact a Ulez compliant vehicle but DVLA records are not complete.
How many vehicles does TFL reasonably assume in the UK have data that is incorrect based on the above and how much excess revenue is received due to incorrect charging profiles based on DVLA errors ior ommissions n registration,
What process does DVLA have for testing older or imported vehicles that are compliant but not infact registered incompletely.
What process is in place to re imburse incorrectly registerd vehicles that have been charged for.
We answered
Our ref: FOI-2457-2223/GH
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 30 December 2022 asking for information about vehicles incorrectly charged for ULEZ based on DVLA registration omissions.
Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold some of the information you require.
How many vehicles are incorrectly charged Ulez based on DVLA registration omissions
We do not hold this information. In order to establish whether a vehicle is compliant with the Ultra Low Emission Zone standards we predominantly use the vehicle information held by the DVLA. In the vast majority of cases this information allows us to establish if the vehicle meets the relevant emission standards.
However the information held by the DVLA isn’t always comprehensive enough to establish compliance. This doesn’t mean it is incorrect, it just may not be detailed enough for us to establish compliance. In order to address this we have a registration process. This allows the keeper of a vehicle, which is marked as non-compliant, to contact us and provide evidence to confirm their vehicle is compliant. Once received and verified we update our records and mark the vehicle compliant.
The change in status could be for a variety of reasons, including the vehicle emission data not being previously available, the DVLA data not being adequate enough to allow us to establish compliance or the vehicle manufacturer confirming the vehicle is complaint, when we hadn’t previously had this information.
How many requests does TFL receive per year for changes to emission class or other incorrect classification eg c02 rating etc, i.e a car or motorcycle that is defined as not ulez compliant but is in fact a Ulez compliant vehicle but DVLA records are not complete.
We do not record the number of vehicle records updated as a result of DVLA records being incomplete.
How many vehicles does TFL reasonably assume in the UK have data that is incorrect based on the above and how much excess revenue is received due to incorrect charging profiles based on DVLA errors or ommissions n registration,
We do not hold this information.
What process does DVLA have for testing older or imported vehicles that are compliant but not infact registered incompletely.
We do not hold this information.
What process is in place to re imburse incorrectly registerd vehicles that have been charged for.
In accordance with the Low Emission Zone Scheme Order, the legal document which outlines how we must run the ULEZ, the onus is on the motorist to confirm whether or not the vehicle meets ULEZ emission standards. If that isn’t confirmed then the charge will be payable. The Scheme order doesn’t facilitate the refunding of daily charges due to the compliance status of a vehicle being updated. The LEZ Scheme Order is available online at https://content.tfl.gov.uk/lez-scheme-order.pdf
If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Graham Hurt FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
