Clean Air Zone, class C
Bradford Clean Air Zone
Adds vans and minibuses to the class B list. Private cars are still outside it.
Local detail
What is specific to Bradford
Bradford's zone opened on 26 September 2022 and is unusually large for a class C. It takes in everything inside the outer ring road, then follows the Aire valley up to Shipley and Saltaire, so a driver heading for Salts Mill is inside the zone without ever reaching the city centre. Bradford is also the only zone where a taxi pays less than a van, £7 against £9, so a private hire driver and a builder with the same engine face different bills.
7 vehicle types
What each vehicle pays
| Vehicle | Daily charge | Standard that avoids it |
|---|---|---|
| Private car | Not charged | No standard is published for this row |
| Motorcycle | Not charged | No standard is published for this row |
| Hackney carriage or private hire vehicle | £7 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Van, light goods vehicle or minibus | £9 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Campervan or motorhome up to 3.5 tonnes | £9 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Campervan or motorhome over 3.5 tonnes | £50 | Euro VI |
| Bus, coach or HGV | £50 | Euro VI |
One daily charge covers however many times you enter and leave in the same day. It does not cover any other scheme that overlaps the same streets.
What the vehicle has to meet
Emissions standards
- Taxis, private hire vehicles, vans, light goods vehicles and minibuses: Euro 4 for petrol, Euro 6 for diesel.
- Buses, coaches and HGVs: Euro VI.
- Private cars and motorbikes are not charged, even when used for work, unless the car is licensed as a taxi or private hire vehicle.
The Euro standard is recorded on the vehicle's type approval rather than worked out from its age, so a car built in the year a standard came in can fall either side of it. Check the registration date on the V5C against the operator's own vehicle checker before relying on either.
Where and when
Boundary and hours
- Boundary
- Everything inside and including the Bradford outer ring road, then out along the Aire valley corridor through Manningham Lane, Bradford Road and the Canal Road area to take in Shipley and Saltaire.
- Hours of operation
- 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
- Enforcement since
- 26 September 2022
4 exemptions and discounts
Who does not pay
- Private cars and motorbikes.
- School buses meeting Euro 4, under the council's local exemption.
- Local exemptions for certain vehicles run by small businesses doing educational or charitable work.
- Fully electric and hydrogen vehicles.
Most of these have to be applied for, and several are time limited. An exemption you have not registered is not an exemption the cameras know about.
If you do not pay
Penalty charge
£120, reduced to £60 if you pay within 14 days, plus the daily charge of £7, £9 or £50 depending on the vehicle. If nothing is paid or challenged within 28 days a charge certificate raises the penalty by half, to £180.
Questions about this zone
Does a car pay in the Bradford Clean Air Zone?
No. A private car is never charged in this zone, however old it is, unless it is licensed as a taxi or private hire vehicle. Other vehicle types are charged from £7 a day, so check the charge table for the exact type.
When does the zone operate?
24 hours a day, every day of the year. Enforcement started on 26 September 2022, and those hours have applied since, unless the operator has published a change.
Where does the zone start and end?
Everything inside and including the Bradford outer ring road, then out along the Aire valley corridor through Manningham Lane, Bradford Road and the Canal Road area to take in Shipley and Saltaire. The cameras belong to the operator, so treat that description as the route to plan around rather than a guess at where enforcement begins.
What is the penalty if I do not pay?
£120, reduced to £60 if you pay within 14 days, plus the daily charge of £7, £9 or £50 depending on the vehicle. If nothing is paid or challenged within 28 days a charge certificate raises the penalty by half, to £180.
Who is exempt?
4 exemptions and discounts are published for this zone, including: Private cars and motorbikes; School buses meeting Euro 4, under the council's local exemption; Local exemptions for certain vehicles run by small businesses doing educational or charitable work. Most have to be applied for in advance, so read the full list before you travel.