Birmingham City Council has launched a Business Breathes website to help fleet managers and self-employed drivers prepare for the city’s clean air zone (CAZ).

From January 2020, non-compliant private cars, taxis and vans will pay £8 per day, while HGVs, coaches and buses will be charged £50 per day to enter the city’s CAZ, which will cover all roads within the A4540 Middleway ring road.

The website – businessbreathes.co.uk - will feature information on low-emission vehicles that will comply with CAZ requirements, grants and incentives that will be available if businesses need to upgrade their vehicles to avoid the charges, as well as recharging and refuelling points.

It will also include features such as a postcode checker to show if a business is within the CAZ zone and a calculator to show the potential savings that can be made by using technology such as an electric, gas or hydrogen vehicle compared to a petrol or diesel model that does not comply with CAZ requirements.

Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment at Birmingham City Council, said: “The CAZ will represent a significant change in terms of the way people travel around the city, so it is important that those who rely on the use of vehicles for their business are able to make the necessary preparations and access the relevant support ahead of its implementation in January 2020.

“The Business Breathes website provides a valuable one-stop shop for fleet managers and self-employed drivers to access the information they need to make the switch to greener, cleaner transport options, ensuring Birmingham stays open for business while also helping the city achieve cleaner air for those who live and work here.”

For more on what other towns and cities are proposing, visit our interactive map.

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