
The idea of a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in Greater Manchester has been flirted with for some time but now the government has backed the region’s Clean Air Plan. Drivers in Greater Manchester will not face additional charges as the area is set to benefit instead from 117 new lower and zero-emission buses in a £86 million scheme to help clean up the region’s air, the Government has confirmed today (January 23).
All 10 of Greater Manchester’s local authorities have previously been legally directed by government to bring nitrogen dioxide within legal limits as soon as possible and by 2026 at the latest, with a possible charge of up to £60 per day to drive on the region’s roads.
Clean air zones, which are already in operation in many cities across the UK, including Birmingham, Bristol and London, aim to improve air quality by cutting the number of high polluting vehicles on the road. However, the rollout of the Greater Manchester CAZ has been on hold since February 2022 after a backlash over the potential of charging drivers of certain vehicles but now people have been given “the certainty they have long needed”.
Will vehicles be charged for entering the Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone (CAZ)?
The simple answer is no. Defra and the Department for Transport have rigorously assessed an investment-led plan proposed by local councils and concluded it will meet legal obligations to reduce nitrogen dioxide pollution. While local authorities in other areas have found that a Clean Air Zone is the best route to cutting nitrogen dioxide pollution, the government found that the evidence that Greater Manchester provided complied with legal limits faster without charging.
Therefore, a Clear Air Zone in Manchester has been ruled out so motorists will not be charged to drive into the area. Instead, there will be a fleet of new buses and traffic-calming measures to improve air quality in the region.
How has Greater Manchester reduced air pollution so far?
A key element of the proposed plan is investment in cleaner buses, and latest figures show improvements in the Greater Manchester bus fleet is already helping to improve air quality. Monitoring data for air quality in 2023 showed that air pollution has fallen compared to 2022 – and is significantly lower than levels recorded pre-pandemic in 2019.
Six years ago, air quality monitoring data showed 129 locations of nitrogen dioxide exceedance. In 2024, this fell to 64 sites across the city region.
The gradual improvement has been partly driven by the investment in hundreds of cleaner buses, including Zero Emission Buses for the Bee Network. Prior to franchising less than 1% of vehicles were electric and that is now more than 10% in areas where buses are under local control. Greater Manchester is on target for a third of its bus fleet to be electric by 2027 and is working towards an ambition to have an all-electric bus fleet by 2030.
How does the region plan to reduce air pollution?
Using £86 million of Clean Air funding that has already been allocated to Greater Manchester, the plan would use £51.1m for 40 new Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs), 77 new Euro VI clean air compliant buses (whereas the previous plan was for 64 new ZEBs and depot electrification in Manchester, Bolton and Middleton) and charging infrastructure.
The investment-led package also includes £5m for local traffic management measures; £8m to support moving Greater Manchester’s taxi fleet to cleaner vehicles as well as up to £21.9m for administration, delivery, monitoring and other associated costs. Local leaders have also been told they can review and cancel contracts relating to the Clean Air Zone, such as signs and cameras.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “We are grateful to this Government for listening to Greater Manchester and for this vote of confidence in our investment-led approach to cleaning up our air. This is the right decision for Greater Manchester and it gives people here the certainty they have long needed.
“Because we have implemented the first phase of the Bee Network on time and on budget, the Government clearly trusts us to deliver and has seen the evidence that our approach is working. The Bee Network is cleaning up our air and keeping the cost of travel as low as possible. Its success is allowing us to remove a big weight of worry off the shoulders of people who need to drive as part of their job.
“We are grateful to Steve Reed and Heidi Alexander for backing us with funding to take our approach further and faster. We will now continue to work towards an all-electric bus fleet whilst investing in local traffic measures and supporting our GM-licensed taxi drivers to upgrade to cleaner vehicles.”