London’s mayor launches £42 million fund to remove old diesel taxis

A new £42 million fund has been launched which aims to help remove some of the most polluting diesels from London.

According to the BBC, up to £5,000 will be given to cab drivers if they retire their diesel taxis if they are between 10 to 15 years old and no new diesel cabs will be licensed from January.

The new scheme is expected to cut pollution in the capital by 45 per cent by 2020.

An owner de-licensing a 10-year-old taxi would receive the highest amount of £5,000, scaling down to £1,200 for a vehicle coming to the end of the 15-year age limit.

But, the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association has argued that the money will replace funds that taxi drivers could have raised themselves for selling on fully licensed cabs.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "London's filthy air is a health crisis that needs urgent action.

"I hope this fund helps deliver a new generation of zero-emission taxis on our roads and paves the way for the government to offer a diesel scrappage scheme so all London motorists can ditch their dirty diesels."