Holding the Mayor to

account and investigating

issues that matter to
Transport Committee Londoners

Call for Evidence: The future of smart road user charging February 2023

The London Assembly Transport Committee has launched an investigation into BusinessLDN, Centre for London, Possible, the Federation of Small Businesses
the future of smart road user charging in London. We will consider the practical and the Rebel Group. The transcript of that evidence session can be found here
and the video recording of the meeting can be found here. The Committee’s
issues around the potential introduction of smarter road user charging in London. second meeting will be held on 28 February 2023.
Below is information about the investigation and Call for Evidence, as well as key
questions the investigation is interested in hearing about.

Why is the Committee exploring this topic?

The London Assembly investigates issues of importance to Londoners and is the
body that holds the Mayor to account.

For Londoners, the potential introduction of variable or distanced-based smarter

road user charging would be the biggest change in how daily transport is paid for
since the introduction of Oyster and the Congestion Charge nearly 20 years ago.

A number of the Mayor’s policy targets mean journeys must shift away from
private car use towards more active travel and public transport. The Mayor’s
updated Transport Strategy has added more definition to plans for the future
development of smarter road charging to: “address the triple challenges of toxic
air pollution, the climate emergency and traffic congestion.”

London already has a number of road user charging schemes in place, including
the Congestion Charge, the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and the Ultra Low Emission Who can submit evidence?
Zone (ULEZ). As part of a consultation last year on the Mayor’s Transport The Committee would like to invite anyone with knowledge or experience of
Strategy and the ULEZ expansion, TfL asked for views on the future of road user
considering the issues around smart road user charging to submit views and
charging and how it might be implemented.
information to the investigation, giving you the opportunity to inform our work
The Committee held its first meeting on this investigation on 14 December 2022 and influence our recommendations. We would like to hear from those who
and heard from the following organisations: Campaign for Better Transport, regularly need to drive in any part of London who would be directly affected by
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 Holding the Mayor to
account and investigating
issues that matter to
Transport Committee Londoners

Call for Evidence: The future of smart road user charging February 2023

the introduction of road user charging, as well as from any Londoner who would Do I need to answer all the questions?
be affected by the policy and its potential goals. Therefore, this Call for
No, you are welcome to answer the questions that are most relevant to you or
Evidence is open to all who would like to respond. your organisations and for which you have the most expertise or experience.
Additionally, some sections of the Call for Evidence are aimed at specific
Will responses be published? audiences and therefore will not be relevant to everyone.
Yes, in the large majority of circumstances we will publish written submissions and How do I submit evidence?
the name of the individual or organisation who submitted it. This is so that there
is transparency about what evidence the Committee has received. Please send evidence by email to: [email protected]
Exceptions to this are usually applied where there is a legal reason for non- The deadline for submission is 10 March 2023.
publication or if there is a safeguarding or welfare issue. If there is a reason that
you would like your evidence not to be published with your name (submitted
anonymously) or to not be published (submitted confidential), please let us know
and the Committee will consider it. However, this cannot be guaranteed, and the
Assembly may be required to release information if requested under the Freedom
of Information Act 2000.

What will the evidence I provide be used for?

The responses to this Call for Evidence will be used to inform the Committee’s
discussion with invited stakeholders at its meeting in February 2023 and any
Key questions
subsequent recommendations. This is an open meeting, and anyone is welcome to 1. Do the current road user charging systems in London require reform?
attend as an audience member to watch the discussion.
2. How might smarter road user charging differ from the current daily
Following the investigation, the Committee may produce an output in the form of charges for driving applied in London?
a published letter or report. Information and/or quotations from submissions to 3. How might charges for driving in London be varied for different types of
this call for evidence may be used in this output, and we will ensure we cite you. journeys, such as travelling for work, caring responsibilities or essential
We generally inform those who have submitted evidence the outcome of the services?
investigation in the form of link to a report or output when it is published.
4. What strategies and targets could smarter road user charging support?

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 Holding the Mayor to
account and investigating
issues that matter to
Transport Committee Londoners

Call for Evidence: The future of smart road user charging February 2023

5. What technology could be used to support smarter road user charging?

6. How could smarter road user charging assist with tackling current
challenges such as traffic, air pollution and climate change?
7. Are road user charging schemes best set up at a city or regional level, or
as a national system, and what benefits or difficulties would you expect
with either approach?
8. If smarter road user charging is introduced, which charges or taxes should
it replace and how should the current taxes and charges be changed?
9. What discounts and exemptions would you like to see for any new
smarter road charging scheme, for example to help disabled people, those
on low incomes, those who need to drive for work, or people who live in
areas with low levels of public transport?
10. If the Government were interested in a national distance-based road user
charging scheme, would London be a sensible place for a trial?
11. If distance-based road user charging was introduced, do you think
Londoners who drive should pay less in total for vehicle or driving-based
charges, the same, or more than they do currently?
12. Mayors and local authorities currently have powers to introduce new road
charging schemes. Do you think anything further is required beyond an
electoral mandate for these bodies to use those powers (for example a
local referendum)?
13. How are other cities and countries working on similar smarter road user
charging ideas faring, and what alternatives are they looking at for
achieving similar policy goals?

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 Holding the Mayor to
account and investigating
issues that matter to
Transport Committee Londoners

Call for Evidence: The future of smart road user charging February 2023

About the Committee Contact

Submissions [email protected]
The Transport Committee examines matters relating to the capital’s transport
system. Further information Eleanor Haigh, Acting Senior Policy Advisor
To read more about our previous work, please visit our website. [email protected]

Committee Members
Media enquiries Emma Bowden, External Communications Officer
• Sian Berry AM, Chair (City Hall Greens)
[email protected]
• Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM, Deputy Chair (Liberal Democrat)
• Shaun Bailey AM (GLA Conservatives)
• Elly Baker AM (Labour Group)
• Unmesh Desai AM (Labour Group)
• Neil Garratt AM (GLA Conservatives)
• Joanne McCartney AM (Labour Group)
• Keith Prince AM (GLA Conservatives)
• Nick Rogers AM (GLA Conservatives)
• Sakina Sheikh AM (Labour Group)