DEFRA has reminded licensing authorities to submit taxi and private hire data in accordance with the Air Quality (Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles Database) (England and Wales) Regulations 2019.

In an email to licensing authorities, DEFRA’s Taxi and PHV Database Team said:

“As outlined in the statutory guidance, the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles Database has been introduced as part of the Clean Air Zone service, enabling the effective implementation of Clean Air Zones from summer 2020.

“To implement Clean Air Zones effectively, the service needs to be able to differentiate between taxis and private hire vehicles and private cars to charge them appropriately. In all Clean Air Zones, taxis and private hire vehicles which do not meet the minimum emissions standards for the zone will be charged, while private cars will only be charged in Clean Air Zones Class D, which Birmingham will be introducing in summer 2020.

“Leeds will introduce a Clean Air Zone Class B in summer 2020 with Clean Air Zones also approved in Bath (class C) and Sheffield (class C). More Clean Air Zones are expected, including in Greater Manchester, Bradford, Bristol, and Newcastle.
 
“We recently launched the ‘Check if you’ll be charged to drive in a Clean Air Zone’ service at www.gov.uk/check-clean-air-zone-charge - this vehicle checker uses the data you have supplied to the taxi database to identify whether a vehicle is a taxi or private hire vehicle. It is essential that you upload your data on a minimum weekly basis to ensure that these results are up-to-date, and vehicles are being charged appropriately.”