A Clean Air Zone is a designated area within which certain higher-pollution vehicles would pay a daily charge to drive.
Vehicles which do not comply with the required emissions standards would pay a daily charge for each day on which they drive into, out of, in or through the Clean Air Zone. Failure to pay the daily charge would result in a liability to pay a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) in addition to the outstanding daily charge.
Government has specified four categories of Clean Air Zone in their Clean Air Framework.
- Class A – Buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs)
- Class B - Buses, coaches, taxis, PHVs and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs)
- Class C - Buses, coaches, taxis, PHVs, HGVs and light goods vehicles (LGVs)
- Class D - Buses, coaches, taxis, PHVs, HGVs LGVs and cars
Greater Manchester has been directed by government to introduce a Class C Clean Air Zone which would cover the whole of the city region. The Clean Air Zone will launch on Monday 30 May 2022 for all buses and HGVs and non-GM licensed Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles, and from 1 June 2023 for LGVs, minibuses, coaches and GM licensed Hackney Carriages and private hire vehicles.
The Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone does not include private cars, motorbikes or mopeds.
The Clean Air Zone is designed to improve air quality by encouraging upgrades to cleaner vehicles. It is not the same as a Congestion Charge Zone, where all or most vehicles are charged to drive.