Who is responsible for traffic fines and penalties?
You are responsible for and must pay all charges arising during your Hire Period from various infringements, including, but not limited to:
- Congestion, Clean Air, or Ultra Low Emission Zone charges (including any failure to pay them).
- Parking charges (including any failure to pay them).
- Breaches of parking restrictions or road traffic offences such as speeding, lane infringement, tunnel, turning, and bus lane charges.
- Costs resulting from the Vehicle being clamped, seized, or towed away.
Primary Liability:
- You are primarily liable for all these charges, regardless of who was driving the Vehicle, unless the Vehicle was reported stolen or was being driven by a Referred Driver.
- We may share your personal details with the relevant enforcement agencies (the 'issuing body') to transfer this liability to you.
Our Administration Process:
- If we are required to deal with correspondence, make payments, or otherwise liaise with the issuing body, we will charge your credit/debit card with our Third Party Administration Charge (as set out in the Tariff Guide).
- We may elect to pay the fine or penalty ourselves to mitigate costs or because we cannot transfer liability. If we do this, you must reimburse us for the penalty amount plus our Third Party Administration Charge.
What happens if we pay the charge?
- We will notify you that we have paid the penalty and supply an invoice for the penalty cost plus our Third Party Administration Charge.
- We will inform you that we intend to deduct the total amount from your credit/debit card within 7 days of the date of our notice.
- We will provide you with a letter of authorisation to allow you to deal directly with the issuing body.
Appealing the Charge:
- If you believe the penalty was invalid, you are responsible for contacting the issuing body to appeal using the letter of authorisation we provide.
- The Third Party Administration Charge will only be refunded, and any penalty sum you paid will be refunded, if the issuing body both rescinds the fine/penalty AND confirms to us that the original charge did not apply in any event. The decision of the issuing body is final.
1. London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
- Location: Operates 24/7 across all London boroughs, excluding the M25.
- Charge: Approximately £12.50 daily for most vehicles that do not meet the emissions standards.
- Purpose: To reduce air pollution in the city.
2. London Congestion Charge (CC)
- Location: The central London zone, operating on weekdays and weekends.
- Charge: Approximately £15 daily during operating hours for most cars.
- Purpose: To reduce traffic congestion in the most central areas.
3. M6 Toll (West Midlands)
- Location: The main toll motorway in the UK, bypassing the M6 through the West Midlands.
- Charge: Varies depending on vehicle class, time of day, and distance traveled. The maximum charge for cars can be close to £10.
- Purpose: To provide a quicker, alternative route for drivers traveling through a heavily congested area.
4. Dartford Crossing (M25)
- Location: The crossing of the River Thames linking Essex and Kent.
- Charge: Approximately £2.50 for cars, with higher fees for larger vehicles. There are no toll booths; payment must be made in advance or by midnight the next day.
- Purpose: To manage traffic on a key part of the M25 London orbital motorway.
5. Clean Air Zone (CAZ) (Birmingham)
- Location: Covers all roads within the city's A4540 Middleway Ring Road.
- Charge: Approximately £8 daily for cars and vans that do not meet emissions standards.
- Purpose: To reduce air pollution in the city centre.
6. Clean Air Zone (CAZ) (Bristol)
- Location: A zone within the city centre, operating 24/7.
- Charge: Approximately £9 daily for non-compliant cars and vans.
- Purpose: To improve air quality by charging high-polluting vehicles.
7. Mersey Tunnels (Liverpool)
- Location: The Queensway (A41) and Kingsway (A59) tunnels under the River Mersey, connecting Liverpool and the Wirral.
- Charge: Over £2 for a car to cross.
- Purpose: To provide a reliable route for vehicles crossing the river.
8. Tyne Tunnels (A19)
- Location: Twin road tunnels running under the River Tyne between Howdon and Jarrow.
- Charge: Approximately £2.40 for cars.
- Purpose: To connect communities and improve road travel in the Tyneside area.
9. Humber Bridge (A15)
- Location: A suspension bridge spanning the Humber Estuary between East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.
- Charge: Approximately £1.50 for cars.
- Purpose: To connect Hull with the south bank of the Humber.
10. Clean Air Zone (CAZ) (Oxford)
- Location: The Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) covers a small area of the city centre.
- Charge: A daily charge of approximately £2 to £10 for most petrol and diesel vehicles during charging hours.
- Purpose: To encourage the use of zero-emission vehicles.
