Green transport

The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is improving London’s air quality, benefiting public health and helping to combat climate change.  

The ULEZ is the world's largest clean air zone. It covers every London borough, helping the capital’s nine million residents breathe cleaner air. Drivers who's vehicles do not meet certain emission standards must pay a daily charge to drive in the zone.    

The ULEZ operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year, except Christmas Day (25 December). 

Buses are London’s most affordable, available, and accessible public transport mode. They are the most-used public transport in London, playing a central role in connecting cross-capital communities.  

Choosing to take the bus instead of drive helps cut carbon emissions. The Mayor and TfL are working to make the bus network an even more attractive driving alternative, making bus journeys faster, better connected, and more reliable and comfortable.

For example, the Superloop express bus network lets Londoners travel between outer London’s town centres, hospitals and transport hubs more quickly and easily. 

We’re also working to make London’s bus fleet cleaner and greener. Since January 2021, the entire London bus fleet has met or exceeded ULEZ emission standards. This was achieved by replacing old buses with new ones, and retrofitting mid-life buses. This helped improve air quality across the capital. 

Since 2021, the Mayor also required all new buses entering TfL’s fleet should be zero-emission.* There are now over 1,000 zero-emission buses on London’s streets, meaning the city now has the largest zero-emission bus fleet in Western Europe - over one in seven buses are now zero-emission. The Mayor has committed to delivering an entirely zero-emission bus fleet by 2030.  

The Mayor is determined to make London’s taxi and private hire vehicle fleets the greenest in the world.  

Since January 2018, all taxis presented for first time licensing must be zero-emission capable. To phase out the most polluting diesel vehicles, the maximum diesel taxi age was reduced from 15 to 12 years.  

As a result, London’s iconic and historic black cabs are now leading the way in adopting green technology. Today, over half of London's almost 15,000 black taxis are now zero-emission capable.  

The Mayor and TfL have taken the same approach with private hire vehicles. From January 2023, all first-time licensed private hire vehicles must be zero-emission capable, and those already licensed must be no older than 10 years at relicensing time. Over a third of all private hire vehicles in London are now zero-emission capable, while less than a third are fuelled solely by petrol or diesel.  

The Mayor and TfL are working with boroughs and the private sector to make electric vehicles an easier, more practical option for Londoners. 

Since 2016, the Mayor has overseen dramatic electric vehicle public charging infrastructure increases, to help Londoners switch to zero-emission vehicles. As a result, Londoners are adopting electric vehicles much faster than the rest of the UK, while diesel car registrations are rapidly declining.  

The Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy (published December 2021) sets out what is needed so enough EV infrastructure exists in London by 2030. The Mayor has committed to work with partners, to get 40,000 electric vehicle charge points in London by 2030 - which is double the amount installed as of 2024.  

*at the tailpipe