Motorists driving older vehicles will start being charged to drive in Newcastle City Centre by the end of January.
But the Clean Air Zone charge will not apply to people driving their private cars, no matter how old their vehicle is.
Newcastle's Clean Air Zone aims to reduce the number of high-polluting vehicles in a bid to improve air quality and tackle climate change. Clean air and low-emission zones are being introduced in urban areas across the UK.
Read more: All you need to know about Newcastle Clean Air Zone before January 30
Some cities - like Birmingham and Bristol - have Clean Air Zones that require car drivers to pay a toll to use their private vehicles in some areas. But Newcastle's will only apply to taxis, private hire vehicles, buses, coaches and Heavy Goods Vehicles that do not meet minimum emissions standards.
Clean Air Zone charges will apply from January 30 for some vehicles and at some point in July 2023 for others.
Taxis, private hire vehicles and vans will be charged £12.50 per day to drive in Newcastle city centre and over the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges once the zone goes live. Buses, coaches and HGV drivers will be charged £50 per day if their vehicle is classed as high polluting.
Owners of taxis registered in Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside can apply for discounts. Commercial vehicles registered within the Clean Air Zone can also apply for exemptions. Grants are also available to bring vehicles up to emissions standards.
Newcastle Clean Air Zone - who pays from January 30, 2023
Drivers of taxis, private hire vehicles, buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles that do not meet emissions standards will be charged to drive in the Newcastle Clean Air Zone from Monday January 30, 2023.
Taxis and private hire vehicle drivers will be charged £12.50 per day if their vehicle doesn't meet emissions standards. Drivers whose cars are registered in Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside can apply for a discount charge of £50 for each seven day period rather than £12.50 per day.
Drivers of buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles that don't meet emissions standards will be charged £50 a day to use their vehicles in the Newcastle Clean Air Zone. Grants are available to bring vehicles up to emissions standards.
To meet emissions standards, taxis must have a Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol engine. "In general, this will be diesel vehicles registered after September 2015 and petrol vehicles registered after 2005," the Clean Air Zone website states.
Buses and coaches must meet Euro VI emissions standards, which usually means vehicles registered after 2014. Heavy Goods Vehicles must meet the Euro VI emissions standard to not be charged. That mostly applied to vehicles registered after 2014.
Who pays Newcastle Clean Air Zone charge from July 2023 (exact date to be confirmed)
Van drivers will be charged £12.50 a day to drive in Newcastle's Clean Air Zone from July 2023, unless their vehicle meets emissions standards.
The Clean Air Zone rule state: "To meet minimum emissions standards your vehicle must have a Euro 6 diesel or a Euro 4 petrol engine. In general, this will be diesel vans registered after September 2016 and petrol vans registered after January 2006."
Read more: Where the Newcastle Clean Air Zone charge money goes
Will I be charged to drive my own car in the Clean Air Zone?
Newcastle's Clean Air Zone is a category C, which means charges do not apply to private cars. That may change in the future, though.
"Private cars can only be added to a Clean Air Zone once the other categories of vehicle have been included," reads the Clean Air Zone website.
"In our case, the Clean Air Zone we are introducing does not include private cars because modelling information of future pollution levels shows that we can achieve compliance with the legal limits without having to take this additional step, which helps to reduce the regional economic impact of the Clean Air Zone."
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