ULEZ chaos as number plate checker website struggles with glitches just hours before expanded emission zone starts
FRUSTRATED drivers have been met with technical issues as they battled to access the ULEZ number plate checker website today.
Motorists have made a last-minute dash to find out if they’ll be liable for the expanded £12.50 daily charge which comes into force from midnight across London.
The site is supposed to let you check with your number plate.
But people attempting to visit Transport for London‘s website were met with an alert that said the page is “busier than usual”.
Users were forced to wait in a queue to find out if they are affected by Mayor Sadiq Khan‘s unpopular move.
It warned that there was a one minute wait.
And while it returned to regular service just moments later, it again started to show the error message at 1.30pm today.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone, also known as the ULEZ, is expanding from tomorrow, August 29.
ULEZ was introduced in 2019 in order to address air pollution in central London.
It originally operated in the congestion charge zone only, before being widened out to the North and South circular roads in 2021, making the charging zone 18 times bigger according to the RAC.
The scheme runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week and aims to improve the health of people by reducing the amount of particulate matter and nitrous oxides they breathe.
Drivers will be slapped with an eye-watering daily charge if their vehicle doesn’t satisfy emissions standards.
Older vehicles, including motorbikes, that don’t meet the tighter emissions standards will be hit with a £12.50 charge each day they are used in the ULEZ.
An interactive map shows how to dodge the hated scheme as it’s expanded tomorrow.
In 2022, it was reported that drivers had coughed up almost £100 million in ULEZ charges in less than 12 months.