£4.1 million of Clean Air Zone grant funding is now available for the Bradford Licenced taxi trade to assist with the running costs of a fully electric Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Vehicle.
Applicants can choose to purchase or take out a long-term lease (minimum two years lease at the time the grant agreement is signed and returned) to be eligible for the grant.
There are currently 200,000 electric vehicle movements per month in the Bradford district. These grants will support the Bradford taxi trade in making the change to fully electric vehicles.
The Bradford taxi trade has proactively upgraded vehicles to Clean Air Zone standards. Thanks to grants already issued, it is the cleanest fleet in the country, with 99% of the 4,800-strong licensed taxi and private hire trade meeting the Bradford CAZ standard.
A recent trade survey in Bradford district showed that more than two-thirds (67.6%) of the respondents consider driving a fully electric Hackney Carriage or private hire vehicle. The report stated: ‘We know that there is an appetite for fully electric taxi vehicles in Bradford district, and we want to support this.’
Owners of electric vehicles can see savings in fuel costs and lower servicing and maintenance costs. These are on top of the driver health benefits of in-vehicle pollution reduction, respiratory health improvements and noise reduction.
The application process is now live for Bradford licensed vehicle proprietors. The grant will be increased for non-wheelchair Accessible Vehicles from £6,000 over two years up to £10,000, which aligns it with the Hackney Carriage and Wheelchair Accessible Private Hire Vehicle EV grants. Proprietors who have already upgraded to other compliant vehicle types (such as petrol/electric hybrid) can apply for a top-up grant if they choose to go fully electric. The grant funding will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: ‘We recognise that there is a desire from the taxi trade to switch to fully electric vehicles. We want to further support the taxi trade by offering up to £10,000 per vehicle in grant funding to assist proprietors with the running costs of a fully electric Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Vehicle. This is the highest grant of this type in the UK.’
Anyone who is unsure if they are entitled to grants or exemptions of any type to call the Clean Air Zone team on 01274 435533, which is open Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 5pm and Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.
