The mayor urged individuals driving non-compliant autos throughout the zone to make sure they pay the £12.50 cost utilizing the official Transport for London (TfL) web site.
He added that TfL was working to make sure its web site is promoted by Google over “third get together” platforms in search outcomes.
The warning got here after Len Duvall, Labour group chief on the London Meeting, mentioned certainly one of his Greenwich and Lewisham constituents had been “duped” into paying the cost by on-line “scammers”.
He requested Mr Khan in a written query what he was doing to make individuals conscious of the place to pay.
The mayor mentioned TfL “has no affiliation with third get together organisations who function unofficial web sites accepting funds of Highway Consumer Charging costs, often at the next fee”.
He mentioned: “TfL encourages all motorists to make use of their official website to pay the cost. Paid-for search exercise is being deployed in order that Google’s search engine shows the official TfL web site in a excessive place on the prime or close to the highest of the web page.
“Sadly, when individuals are looking out to pay, web search engines like google and yahoo don’t all the time counsel the official TfL Pay to Drive internet web page on the prime of their search outcomes. Which means individuals could also be supplied a hyperlink to an unofficial cost website.
“The official TfL web site advises prospects find out how to keep away from cost fraud, and TfL works proactively with search engine corporations akin to Google, in addition to with Promoting Requirements and Buying and selling Requirements, to take away unofficial web sites fully from the web.”
TfL mentioned a few of these unofficial web sites “declare to supply extra providers” however that such providers “are both non-existent or are already offered by TfL with out cost”.
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London
/ PAThese websites can cost a premium of as much as £8 additional, the organisation mentioned.
They added that false claims are often made by these web sites, akin to stating TfL don’t course of funds securely, or that they share drivers’ private information with others – neither of that are true.
The Ulez – which requires older, extra polluting autos to pay the day by day penalty if driving throughout the zone – presently covers the realm throughout the North and South Round roads, however is increasing on August 29 to cowl the entire of Larger London.
The enlargement plan has been blamed by senior Labour politicians as the principle cause why the get together misplaced final week’s by-election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, however the mayor has mentioned he stays dedicated to it, whereas “listening” to Londoners’ considerations.
Sources near Mr Khan have urged he’s prepared to contemplate extra measures to cut back the impression on low-income Londoners, however shouldn’t be ready to delay the zone’s widening or loosen up the enforcement guidelines.
A authorized problem has in the meantime been introduced towards by the enlargement plan by 5 Conservative-run councils, with the Excessive Courtroom prone to subject its choice this week on whether or not the plan is lawful.
Supply hyperlink
