Drivers who own non-Ulez-compliant vehicles will have the option to send their cars to Ukraine in exchange for a grant instead of being retrofitted in the UK.
The scheme, funded by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, will come into effect on March 15 having received the green light in January to allow non-compliant vehicles to be sent to Ukraine.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper confirmed at the start of the year that the Government did not consider there to be any legal barrier to donating vehicles to Ukraine.
As part of the scheme, it originally meant that all London residents could apply for up to £2,000 compensation for scrapping a car or up to £1,000 for scrapping a motorcycle that didn’t comply with Ulez rules.
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The donated vehicles will enable charities to evacuate and transport the injured
PA/GETTY
Now the same amount is being offered for people wanting to send their vehicles to Ukraine.
For wheelchair accessible vehicles there is a payment of £10,000 to scrap or £6,000 to retrofit to the Ulez standards.
Last month, the Mayor said he wanted TfL to explore how the scheme could be used to encourage vehicle donations.
The transport authority found the UK-registered charity British-Ukrainian Aid as an appropriate intermediary to roll out the new scheme.
The London Ambulance Service is also planning to donate 50 decommissioned ambulances to Ukraine which don’t fit the Ulez rules.
To be Ulez compliant, petrol cars need to be registered as new with the DVLA after 2005, although cars that meet the standards have been available since 2001.
As for diesel cars, they need to be registered with the DVLA as new after September 2015.
Mayor Sadiq Khan, said: “As the devastating consequences of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine continue, the country’s infrastructure has been significantly impacted.
"I have worked quickly to amend our scrappage scheme so that from next week, non-compliant vehicles can be donated to Ukraine, helping to meet medical and humanitarian needs while also removing old, polluting vehicles from London’s roads."
The Mayor added that there is still “plenty of money left” in the scrappage fund and he encouraged anyone applying to consider donating their vehicle to the cause.
Christina Calderato, director of transport strategy and policy at TfL, added that the £210million scrappage scheme is helping drivers transition to more sustainable modes of transport, resulting in a cleaner, greener, capital.
Dr Rainer-Elk Anders, trustee of British-Ukrainian Aid, explained that each donated vehicle will make a tremendous difference between life and death for those in need of humanitarian or medical aid in Ukraine.
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The £210million scrappage scheme is helping drivers transition to more sustainable modes of transport
PA
The donated vehicles will enable the charity to evacuate and transport the injured, including children, women and the elderly, and help medical personnel and aid reach critical locations.
Anders added that millions of pounds of support is still available, offering grant payments to eligible Londoners, charities and businesses to scrap or retrofit vehicles that do not meet the Ulez emissions standards.
