How the TfL ULEZ fine mystery was solved

26/01/2024 | The Guardian

A Belgian MP took it upon himself to investigate the issue of hefty fines being imposed on overseas drivers in London for allegedly contravening London's ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ) rules, which led to Transport for London's (TfL) collection agent being investigated for EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) violations. The MP discovered that foreign drivers were not informed of the need to register their vehicles with TfL's debt collections agent, Euro Parking Collections, before entering London. As a result, many were fined for non-compliance even though their vehicles met the Ulez standards. The MP submitted a freedom of information request to Belgium's vehicle licensing agency, which revealed that Euro Parking had employed a local court bailiff to access the Belgian driver database over 26,000 times and pass on drivers' names and addresses to Euro Parking. The MP is now calling for a pan-European solution to claw back the fines that he believes have been collected unlawfully.

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Ultra low emission zone, ULEZ

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