SHEFFIELD CLEAN AIR ZONE
Everything you need to know about the Sheffield Clean Air Zone (CAZ) launching on 27th February, 2023.
What is the Sheffield Clean Air Zone?
In order to reduce harmful levels of Nitrogen Dioxide in the city's air, Sheffield City Council has announced plans to start charging drivers of private hire and commercial vehicles that do not meet the minimum emission standards set by the government. The minimum emissions standards for vehicles to not be charged are:
- Euro 6 Diesel and Euro 4 Petrol for taxis, including both Hackney Carriages and private hire vehicles
- Euro 6 Diesel and Euro 4 Petrol for Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) such as vans, camper vans and pickup trucks and minibuses
- Euro 6 Diesel for buses and coaches
- Euro 6 Diesel for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs)
Charging for non-compliant vehicles will begin in 2023.
Why does Sheffield need a Clean Air Zone?
"We are committed to doing all we can to limit the public health implications such as permanent damage to children's lungs, strokes, lung cancer and cardiovascular disease" - Councillor Julie Grocutt
The annual cost of air pollution to the UK is £20 billion and 40,000 lives. In Sheffield alone, air pollution contributes to 500 deaths a year.
In order to protect the health of the city's residents, the Sheffield CAZ will aim to reduce harmful emissions in the city by charging drivers of polluting taxis, vans, LGVs, coaches, buses, lorries and HGVs a daily fee to enter the zone.
Charges for local Hackney carriage taxis and LGVs will not begin until 5 June, 2023. However, charging for all other non-compliant coaches, buses, lorries and HGVs will begin on 27 February, 2023.
Private cars and motorcycles will not be charged.
What you need to know
Sheffield CAZ will be a Class C chargeable zone, meaning polluting LGVs, vans, buses, coaches and taxi’s, lorries and HGVs that drive within the inner ring road and city centre will be charged a daily fee.
Sheffield CAZ operating times
The Sheffield Clean Air Zone will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All year round.
When will charging start for the Sheffield Clean Air Zone?
Charging for non-compliant coaches, buses, lorries and HGVs will begin on 27 February, 2023.
Non-compliant vans, Hackney carriage taxis and LGVs will not face charges until 5 June, 2023.
How much is the Sheffield Clean Air Zone charge?
If your vehicle does not meet the minimum standard, you will be charged a daily fee to enter the zone, dependant on your vehicle type. This would be:
- £10 per day for polluting vans/LGVs and Taxis
- £50 per day for coaches, buses and lorries/HGVs
Charges 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.
Fines for the Sheffield CAZ
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.
Sheffield CAZ charge exemptions
There are two types of exemptions:
- National exemptions - agreed by the Government and apply to all Clean Air Zones
- Local exemptions - agreed by the council for the Clean Air Zone in their area.
National exemptions - these exemptions are automatic and you don't need to apply for them.
- Disabled tax class or disabled passenger tax class
- Certain types of agricultural vehicles
- Historic vehicles
- Military vehicles
- Ultra low emission vehicles
- Vehicles retrofitted with technology accredited by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS)
Local exemptions - if your vehicle falls under any of these categories, you will need to apply for exemption via the Sheffield City Council website.
More information on the range of local exemptions will be launched on Monday 12 December 2022. Stay tuned!
Is there any support available for drivers in Sheffield?
Financial support will be available from Monday, 12th December for those replacing or upgrading vehicles.
Eligible businesses and residents may be able to apply for financial support to upgrade to cleaner vehicles. Financial support will be available in the form of a grant, an interest subsidised loan or a mix of the two.
Additionally, if you replaced a polluting vehicle after 26 October 2021 you may also be eligible for a retrospective grant. This would cover a proportion of what you paid for the new cleaner vehicle.
More information will be available on Monday, 12 December, 2022.
Pay your clean air charges in seconds
How much of Sheffield will the zone cover?
The Clean Air Zone will cover the inner ring road and city centre, including Park Square and the A61/Parkway junction.
How do I know if I'm about to drive into the CAZ?
As you drive towards the zone, you’ll start to see CAZ signs. Look out initially for the temporary red CAZ awareness signs and then later for the green cloud Class C symbol.
Sheffield CAZ, paid in seconds in Caura
It just takes a few seconds to pay the Sheffield CAZ charge with Caura. Two taps and you’re done.
Simply download the app, enter your vehicle registration number. Once the CAZ launches on the 27th of February 2023, find Sheffield CAZ under City Charges and pay. All receipts are stored in the app, ready for you whenever you need them.
One app for everything car, all in one place
We don’t just help you with city charges. From vehicle tax to yearly insurance – Caura sorts all your admin so you can focus on the task at hand. Managing multiple vehicles? We've got you! Simply add all your cars to the same account for easy, quick payments.
Driving down to Bradford? Plan ahead and pay for the Bradford Clean Air Zone (CAZ) charge quickly in Caura. Find out more about the Bradford Clean Air Zone.
Questions?
Find answers to common questions here. If you can't find what you're looking for then email us on support@caura.com and we'll get back to you.
My account
Do I have to sign up to access Caura?
Yes. To enjoy the benefits of Caura, like timely reminders for tax and insurance, and ultrafast city charge and toll payments, you’ll need to create an account. This is so we can let you know about important expiry dates and booking details.
Can I change the email address I use for Caura?
You can’t currently change your email address on Caura (but we are working on it). As a workaround, you can log out of your current account and sign up with a new email address. We won’t be able to transfer the history over.
What happens if I forget my account credentials?
Easily done. Just tap ‘Forgot Password’ on the Log In screen - we’ll send you a password reset link via your registered email address. If you used your Google or Apple profile details (instead of an email address) to create your account, you’ll need to continue to use this sign-in method.
My account has been suspended, why?
Your account may be suspended as a precaution if we see evidence of fraud or a violation of our terms of service. Please email support@caura.com or send us a message in-app, and we can investigate this with you.
How do I delete my account?
Please email support@caura.com or send us a message in-app, and we can take care of that for you. Please feel free to let us know why you want to leave, as we’re always working to improve Caura for drivers like you.
Managing vehicles
How do I add or remove vehicles from my account?
To add a vehicle, simply swipe to the left on your current vehicle or tap the ‘+’ icon on the Home screen. To remove a vehicle, tap and hold on the vehicle image.
My vehicle cannot be found when I add my number plate, why not?
All vehicles registered with the DVLA should show on Caura. Please make sure you are entering a valid number plate recognised by the DVLA. If the problem persists please email support@caura.com.
Why can’t I see my updated vehicle details (e.g. tax, MOT) on Caura?
If you have made the update on Caura (e.g. paid for tax on Caura), it should update automatically within a few days. If it doesn't, you can pull down the image of your vehicle from the Home screen, which will refresh the app.
Managing payment methods
How do I add or remove a payment method?
You can add, remove and set your default payment method via the Payment Methods screen, accessed via the Account tab. To remove a payment method, swipe it to the left. To set a payment method as the default option, swipe it to the right.
What if I need to change my AutoPay payment method?
Go to your AutoPay account in-app (by going to the City Charges screen). From your AutoPay account, tap the current payment method selected. You can then choose to change your payment method tied to your AutoPay, either select an existing payment method or add a new card to Caura.
City Charges
What is a Clean Air Zone charge?
Clean Air Zones are coming soon to many UK cities, helping our air stay fresh for future generations. All vehicles are allowed in CAZ zones – but if their emissions are above a certain level, they’ll have to pay to pass through.
You can learn more about different Clean Air Zones and the charges in place here.
Which cities have Clean Air Zones?
You can find details of all active and planned Clean Air Zones here.
What Clean Air Zones can I pay for on Caura?
Currently, you can pay for Birmingham’s Class D Clean Air Zone charge, as well as the London Ultra Low Emission Zone charge and the Oxford Zero Emission Zone charge, in two-taps on Caura.
We’re working hard to bring more Clean Air Zones to Caura very soon. We’ll notify users via email or in-app notification when new zones launch, as well as communicate this on social media. In the meantime, if there is a charge payment you really want to see on Caura, let us know by emailing support@caura.com (it may just be what we focus on next!).
What do the different types of Clean Air Zones mean?
There are four types (class) of Clean Air Zone. The class of Clean Air Zone dictates which vehicles have to pay for entering the zone.
For each of the class types, the following non-compliant vehicle types have to pay:
- Class A: buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles
- Class B: buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles and heavy goods vehicles
- Class C: buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans and minibuses
- Class D: buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans, minibuses and cars, and the local authority has the option to include motorcycles too
How do I know if I have to pay the Clean Air Zone?
Please refer to the class type of the Clean Air Zone to understand which vehicle types have to pay.
You will also be able to see exactly what you have to pay for a given Clean Air Zone, based on your vehicle’s type and emissions.
The Clean Air Zones use ANPR cameras to automatically detect your vehicle when you drive into the charging zone. Look out for signs that clearly indicate the boundary of the zone.
If you try to pay for a charge that you're exempt from then Caura will not process the transaction, and you will not be charged.
What days can I pay the Clean Air Zone charges for on Caura?
Currently, you can pay for either today, tomorrow or yesterday in-app on Caura. Make sure you pay for the right date for any trips you make, as we’re unable to offer a refund for any payments made for the wrong day by mistake.
Does Caura charge an additional fee?
Caura charges no additional fee to pay for any Clean Air Zone, or to make any other transaction via the app. We don’t take any of the money for your payment and once it’s made it goes straight to the end provider.
What happens if I pay for the wrong day?
If you’ve paid for the wrong day, unfortunately we aren’t able to offer a refund. We don’t take any of the money for your payment and once it’s made it goes straight to the end provider. We’re unable to recover funds so we aren’t able to offer a refund. If you paid for a charge unnecessarily then you can request a refund from the zone operator, referencing the transaction ID on your payment receipt in the Caura app.
Where can I view my payment receipts in Caura?
You can view any payments you’ve made by going to the History tab in Caura. Tap on any payment in the list to view more detail. From there, you can even export a receipt to your email.
Sheffield Clean Air Zone
What is the Sheffield Clean Air Zone?
The CAZ will see commercial and private-hire non-compliant vehicles charged a daily fee to enter the zone. You can read more about the charge CAZ charge here.
Where is the Sheffield CAZ?
The Sheffield Clean Air Zone covers the inner ring road and city centre, including Park Square and the A61/Parkway junction. View a Sheffield Clean Air Zone map here.
What times does the Sheffield CAZ apply?
The charges apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All year round.
How much is the Sheffield Clean Air Zone?
- £10 per day for polluting vans/LGVs and Taxis
- £50 per day for coaches, buses and lorries/HGVs
Private cars and motorcycles are exempt from this charge.
Are there any discounts and exemptions?
Local exemptions will be announced by the council on 12 December, 2022. All details of exemption can be found on the Sheffield Clean Air Zone page.
Is there any support available?
Support will be available from 12 December, 2022 for those thinking about upgrading their vehicles, or those who replaced their vehicle after 26 October 2021. Find out more here.
Will I get fined if I don't pay the Sheffield CAZ charge?
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.
Is the Sheffield CAZ live?
Yes. The Sheffield Clean Air Zone is live.
Charging for non-compliant coaches, buses, lorries and HGVs will started on 27 February, 2023.
Non-compliant vans, Hackney carriage taxis and LGVs will not face charges until 5 June, 2023.
Does Caura charge an additional fee?
Caura charges no additional fee to pay for the Sheffield CAZ, or to make any other transaction via the app. We don’t take any of the money for your payment and once it’s made it goes straight to the end provider.
What happens if I pay for the wrong day?
If you’ve paid for the wrong day, unfortunately we aren’t able to offer you a refund. Caura doesn’t take any of the money for your payment and once it’s made, it goes straight to the end provider. We’re unable to recover funds so we aren’t able to offer a refund.
Where can I view my payment receipts in Caura?
You can view any payments you’ve made by going to the History tab in Caura. Tap on any payment in the list to view more detail. From there, you can even export a receipt to your email.