Less than a third of taxi drivers receiving grants from Greater Manchester’s Hackney Support Fund are to use the money to buy a zero emission vehicle, Clean Cities have found.
In an update on their investment-led Clean Air Plan, Greater Manchester are to announce that they are delivering all the measures agreed with government to meet legal limits for NO₂, without the need for a charging Clean Air Zone.
One of the highlights of the update is the Hackney Support Fund, through which £8 million will be shared amongst hackney cab drivers to help them buy less polluting vehicles.
The grants for purpose-built Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles are as follows:
- Zero Emission Capable (ZEC) Up to £12,560 towards the running costs of the replacement vehicle (or vehicle finance).
- Second-hand ZEC Up to £12,560 towards the cost of the replacement vehicle.
- Compliant Vehicle (Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel or better) Up to £6,280 towards the cost of the replacement vehicle.
(smaller amounts are available to vehicles that are non-Wheelchair Accessible, but only seven such vehicles are to receive funding)
990 cabs throughout Greater Manchester were identified as being eligible for the scheme, 856 of which would be eligible for funding in the first round (due to some operators having multiple vehicles).
As of 13th January 2026, 219 applications had been made (just 26% of the eligible vehicles). 193 of the applications have been approved while the remaining 26 are classed as pending.
Disappointingly however, only around a third of of the grants are to help drivers move to Zero Emission (or Zero Emission Capable) vehicles.
Of the 193 grants so far approved, 131 will go towards subsidising vehicles that are Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel compliant. Just 62 will be be zero emission.
This was brought to our attention by Clean Cities’ Sarah Rowe, who said: ‘We fully support financial grants for taxi drivers to upgrade their vehicles to models that are not pumping out toxic fumes that affect us all. But it’s a shame that two thirds of those taxis being upgraded will remain petrol and diesel rather than moving to electric cabs which are even better in terms of reducing impacts on our health and environment.
‘A new taxi is a huge investment for any driver, so to lock them into fossil fuel-powered vehicles seems short-sighted at best. A strong push from authorities towards electrification of taxis is good for drivers, would boost British manufacturing and improve the health of all of us who breathe the air here in Greater Manchester. One in five taxis and private hire vehicles in London are electric, yet it’s one in 100 elsewhere in England. It’s a missed opportunity that these grants are not doing more to help us catch up.’
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