Sole trader slams ULEZ scrappage scheme after missing out on £2,000 for cashing in his non-compliant van before grant was upped
- Anthony Fionda, 58, was given £5,000 but the maximum has been upped to £7k
A sole trader has hit out at the ULEZ scrappage scheme after missing out on £2,000 by cashing in his van too quickly.
Anthony Fionda, 58, was given £5,000 for his non-compliant Vauxhall Combo when he traded it in in January after reading up on the incoming ULEZ rules.
But he now wishes he held on to the van – after the maximum payment for non-compliant vans was upped to £7,000 earlier this month.
Anthony says Transport for London (TfL) should make up the difference, as he believes he’s been stung for being efficient.
The carpet cleaning business owner, from Enfield, north London, said: ‘I scrapped my van in January thinking I was being good and caring about the environment.
Anthony Fionda and his new Citreon Berlingo, after trading in his old car
The expansion of the Ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) is due to come into force on August 29
After receiving the £5,000 under the scrappage scheme, he invested a further £8,000 to buy a compliant 2021 plate Citroen Berlingo
‘But if I was doing it now, I would get £7,000 – that doesn’t seem fair, it’s like changing the rules after the game is over.
‘All the people that got £5,000 should be given £2,000 more because it’s just not fair.
‘If I would have waited and kept my non-compliant van on the road for another six months, I would have been polluting more.
‘How is it fair that someone polluting for another six months gets another £2,000 for the trouble?’
Father-of-two Anthony decided to trade in his non-compliant 2014 Vauxhall Combo in January.
He says the van was in good condition with a full service history and 80,000 miles on the clock – believing it to be worth around £4,000.
After receiving the £5,000 under the scrappage scheme, he invested a further £8,000 to buy a compliant 2021 plate Citroen Berlingo.
The new van – which is just 18 months old – allows Antony to travel freely within the ULEZ area
Anthony is a carpet cleaning business owner, from Enfield, north London
Signage is seen along the existing boundary of London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ)
The controversial scheme is set to force Londoners to pay an incredible £12.50-a-day to drive in the capital from August 29, if their cars don’t meet certain environmental standards
The new van – which is just 18 months old – allows Antony to travel freely within the ULEZ area.
However, he says he had to work and save hard to make the extra £8,000, and says he would have invested the extra money from the scrap scheme back into his business.
Read more: The ULEZ scrappage loophole: Drivers face paying hundreds to repair old cars to make them roadworthy so they are eligible for £2,000 grant
Now, he believes he should be reimbursed the extra money – and says that while the new van was expensive, it was more affordable than spending £12.50 per day.
‘I knew when Sadiq Khan announced the ULEZ expansion in November that my van was non-compliant so my idea was to save up some money and make the change,’ said Anthony.
‘It’s a big step to go from a non-compliant van to a compliant van because all the prices have gone up.
‘It wasn’t easy, the van I bought was £13,000 so there was a £8,000 shortfall from the scrap value – but I did it early to get the van off the road and they gave me the money as promised.
‘£2,000 is money I could have spent on equipment, but I’ve had to put everything the business is doing into the van – I’ve lost out and I don’t think that’s fair.’
MailOnline has contacted TfL for comment.
The scrappage scheme fees were changed on August 4. The expanded ULEZ zone will be implemented on August 29.
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