Bradford drivers can get up to £10,000 in funding for fully electric licenced taxi vehicles or hackney carriages. 

Bradford Council has unlocked £4.1 million made available through the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to make the district’s taxi fleet more green.

Bradford district is already home to the cleanest fleet in the country, according to the Council, with 99 per cent of the 4,800 licensed taxi and private hire trade meeting the Bradford CAZ standard.

Now further funding is open to applicants who wish to purchase or take out a long-term lease (minimum two years lease at the time the grant agreement is signed and returned) for a fully electric vehicle. 

It comes after a recent trade survey in Bradford district suggested more than two thirds of the respondents are thinking about driving a fully electric Hackney Carriage or private hire vehicle.

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Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: “We recognise that there is a desire from the taxi trade to switch to fully electric vehicles. We want to further support the taxi trade by offering up to £10,000 per vehicle in grant funding to assist proprietors with the running costs of a fully electric Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Vehicle. This is the highest grant of this type in the UK.”

Owners of electric vehicles can see savings in fuel costs as well as lower servicing and maintenance costs. 

The Council said there are also health benefits for drivers when it comes to in-vehicle pollution, respiratory health improvements and noise reduction. 

The application process is now live for Bradford licensed vehicle proprietors. 

The grant will be increased for non-Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles from £6,000 over two years up to £10,000 over two years.

This is in line with the Hackney Carriage and Wheelchair Accessible Private Hire Vehicle EV grants. 

Proprietors who have already upgraded to other compliant vehicle types (such as petrol/electric hybrid) can apply for a top-up grant if they choose to go fully electric. 

The grant funding will be allocated on a first come first served basis. 

Anyone who is unsure if they are entitled to grants or exemptions of any type can call the Council's CAZ team on 01274 435533. The line is open Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 5pm and Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.

Who is eligible for the new CAZ grant?

The driver must be a proprietor of a licensed vehicle with Bradford Council, regardless of where they live.

The grant is for money towards running costs of a fully electric vehicle licensed with Bradford Council.

The grant can be used towards any costs including payment of EV lease instalments, EV finance or loan instalments, the cost of electricity and/or charging infrastructure, vehicle maintenance, license costs etc.

Current taxi vehicles must be owned and not leased to be eligible for the fully electric vehicle grant.