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The original Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone (CAZ) plan included a Greater Manchester-wide charging zone which meant only the most polluting commercial and private hire vehicles would have been charged to drive within the zone.
In February 2022, the government agreed to push plans back, and as a result, the first phase of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone did not go ahead on 30 May 2022. Greater Manchester's air quality must now meet legal standards set by the government by 2026.
A new proposal for the CAZ will be announced in 2023. Keep an eye on this page - we'll be updating it with all the necessary information!
Poor air quality affects everyone's health, particularly the most vulnerable people in society: deprived communities, children, elderly people and those with chronic conditions like asthma, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. Air pollution contributes to nearly 1,200 premature deaths in Greater Manchester every year.
One the zone is launched, all commercial & private hire vehicles that meet the following emission standards will not be charged:
If you drive a private car or motorcycle, you will also not have to pay a charge.
Charging for the Manchester Clean Air Zone is still under review. We will update this page once more information is provided.
The charge you will need to pay will be dependant on your vehicle type.
The proposed Manchester Clean Air Zone charges are as follows:
Private cars, motorbikes and mopeds will not be included in the plan.
Once the zone in live, charges will apply daily, so if you're entering and exiting the zone multiple times on the same day, you will only need to pay once.
But, if you drive in the zone across two days, for example before midnight and after midnight, you'll need to pay two daily charges.
If you forget to pay the fee, you’ll get a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) in the post for a £120 fine. This is reduced to £60 if you pay it within 14 days.
More information around exemptions from the charge will be available once a new plan has been announced. Once charging for the zone begins, you will be able to use our Manchester Clean Air Zone vehicle checker in-app to check if your vehicle is exempt from the charge. If it's not, you will also be able to pay for the Manchester CAZ charge in Caura in just a couple of taps.
Greater Manchester has secured £120m in government funding to help eligible owners of non-compliant vehicles upgrade to compliant vehicles. The government has said this funding will continue to be available for the new Clean Air Zone plan.
Information around financial support available under the new plan will become available once the new charging plan has been announced.
The zone will cover all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester - Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.
It includes local roads, but does not include motorways and major trunk roads which are managed by National Highways.
Find a more detailed Manchester Clean Air Zone map below:
Signage around the CAZ have already started to go up. As you drive towards the zone, you’ll start to see CAZ signs. The signs will have a symbol with the Letter C, showing the Clean Air Zone class. However, charging for the CAZ will only start once the zone goes live. More information will be provided in 2023.
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