07 February 2003
The caution came from John Biggs, chair of the London Assembly's transport committee, who has effectively acted as the scheme's watchdog in the run-up to its introduction on February 17.
At an Assembly meeting on February 4, committee members outlined their concerns that the complex system of payment and collection, administered by private contractor Capita – in partnership with TfL – will 'fall down' because Londoners may not have registered their vehicles in time.
Mayor Ken Livingstone revealed that more than 158,000 people had registered their vehicles for the scheme, including 74,300 who were entitled to discounts, but just 6,000 had paid for the first day of the charge.
Conservative Assembly member Angie Bray told Public Finance she feared Capita would not be able to cope with a last-minute rush of registrations.
'Additionally, there are very few provisions for dealing with drivers coming into London from hundreds of miles away,' Bray added.
But Derek Turner, TfL's director of street management, assured the committee that Capita had drafted around 300 extra people into its Glasgow call centre to help smooth the path of the charge's introduction. TfL has paid Capita an undisclosed additional fee to handle a last-minute rush.
'I have every confidence that it will run relatively smoothly from the word go,' Turner told PF.
Livingstone hopes the daily charge will slash congestion in London by 15% and raise £120m a year for investment in other transport schemes.
PFfeb2003
