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BVRLA challenges London congestion charge system
Page 7
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TRANSPORT FOR LONDON (TIL) could face a legal challenge to the way it administers the fines system for its congestion charging scheme.
The British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association (BVRLA) is threatening action unless TfL makes concessions on this issue.
It accuses TfL of deliberately misusing the fines process to generate revenue because reduced traffic levels in central London have left it short of its targets.
BVRLA director general John Lewis says: "We as an industry have been watching, gathering and collecting information and we now believe that TfL has deliberately moved outside the legal limitations of the scheme that they operate.
"It has now become more about raising revenue through fines."
Rental companies are currently allowed to transfer liability for offences to the company or individual hiring the vehicle, which in turn allows them to appeal against the offence. But the BVRLA says it can cite numerous cases where TfL has rejected this transfer of liability, forcing rental firms to pay the fine with no right of appeal and then chase their customers for the money.
BVRLA members are also struggling with the administrative burden caused by dealing with penalty charge notices (PCNs). It estimates that each one takes three hours to deal with and, with its members handling some 135,000 notices a year, the cost runs into millions of pounds.
TfL rejects the BVRLA's accusations, saying that it is ham pered by government guidelines on the issue, which it is working to get changed.