E-bike and e-cargo bike grants of £1,000 ahead of Scotland’s low emission zones

Scotland has plans to install low emission zones (LEZs) in its four biggest cities: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. For example, Edinburgh will see a city-wide zone for commercial vehicles and buses and a city-centre zone for all polluting vehicles.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the installation of the LEZs, plans have been published which feature grants available to households and small businesses to support their transition to low or non-polluting vehicles and travel behaviour.

£2 million from the LEZ Mobility Fund by Transport Scotland has been allocated for these grants. Households within a 20 km range of the LEZ can use a £2,000 grant to replace a polluting vehicle. Additionally, up to two adults per household can get 'Travel Better' incentives of up to £500. The latter are directed to the purchase of bicycles, e-bikes or public transport vouchers, summing up to £1,000 per household.

Small businesses with max. 9 employees can use grants of up to £2,500 to replace their polluting vehicles with LEZ compliant ones, such as an electric vehicle or an e-cargo-bike.

Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, said: “Low Emission Zones are required to protect public health and improve air quality in our city centres, but the transition in our four biggest cities must happen in a fair and a just way. The LEZ Mobility Fund will provide immediate assistance to households and businesses that are most impacted by the anticipated emission standards – and that will be enforced sometime after 2022. Through this support, we’re improving air quality in advance of the introduction of LEZs. We’re encouraging the disposal of non-compliant vehicles and responding to the climate emergency, by encouraging a shift to more sustainable forms of travel within our cities through new Travel Better vouchers.”

More information on the LEZ support fund is available here for households and here for small businesses.

Article published first at ebiketips on 25th of January 2021.