Transport for London

The Congestion Charge Scheme was launched in February 2003 with the specific aim of reducing congestion in Central London.

The current £15 charge applies from 7am to 10pm every day except Christmas Day (25 December). Payment of this charge must be made by midnight of the day after entering the charging zone (click here to see a map of the charging zone). The charge only applies once per day.

If you intend to drive into the zone on a regular basis, the most cost effective and easiest way to pay for the charge and avoid the risk of getting a Penalty Charge Notice is to sign up for an automated account here.

You can visit TfL’s main site to make payment, check if your journey takes you inside the zone and find other useful information about the scheme.

Some discounts and exemptions apply. To check whether you are entitled to a discount or exemption click here to go to TfL’s discount and exemption information page.

TOP TIPS

• If you sign up for an Auto Pay Account the daily charge is £10 rather than £11.50
• There are a number of scam / fake websites that charge an additional fee to pay the charge and give incorrect information about the scheme and TfL. Only pay the charge through Transport for London’s official site.

The Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was introduced on 8th April 2019 and applies to the same zone as the Congestion Charging Zone (click here for a map of this zone). The ULEZ has been established to improve air quality in Central London and will mean that most vehicles including cars and vans will need to meet new, tighter exhaust emission standards or be liable for a daily charge to drive within the ULEZ area.

The ULEZ applies to certain vehicles entering the zone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Like the Congestion Charge only one charge is applicable per vehicle per day and the charge can be paid in advance or by midnight the day after entering the zone.

You can check if your vehicle meets the criteria or whether the charge applies through TfL’s official website here.

Some discounts and exemptions apply. To check whether you are entitled to a discount or exemption please check TfL’s office website here.

TOP TIPS

• TfL has a scrappage scheme to help with the cost of replacing some of the most polluting vehicles. Click here to find out more about this scheme.

Bus Lane, Parking and Moving Traffic Offences on the Transport for London Road Network

TfL are responsible for the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN) – known as ‘red routes’ because of the painted red lines.

These roads are London’s main routes, and although they make up only 5% of the total road length, they carry more than 30% of London’s traffic. See a map of London’s red routes.

TfL’s priority is to keep London moving and reduce delays, not raising revenue through fines and so are trying to help people understand red routes so that they avoid an unnecessary fine.

Signs and road markings along the red routes tell you what you can and can’t do. If you don’t follow signs and markings, TfL may issue you with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). If you do not challenge or pay the PCN then CDER Group may be instructed to collect the outstanding debt on behalf of TfL.

Detailed information as to the various rules and restrictions on the red routes can be found on TfL’s official site here.

The Direct Vision Standard (DVS) and safety permit for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) requires operators of lorries over 12 tonnes gross vehicle weight to obtain a safety permit before entering and operating in most of Greater London. Otherwise, you may receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

The Direct Vision Standard measures how much an HGV driver can see directly through their cab windows. This indicates the level of risk to vulnerable road users, such as people walking and cycling, near the vehicle.

The Direct Vision Standard and HGV safety permit for HGVs is part of the Mayor of London’s Vision Zero plan to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London’s transport network by 2041.

More detailed information about the Direct Vision Standard can be found on TfL’s official site here.

You must pay the correct charge for each day of travel within the Congestion Charge or ULEZ areas, so you may have paid for a different journey.

If you believe we have contacted you about a Transport for London penalty that you have already paid please provide evidence of your payment to us as soon as possible so that we can stop further action.

We will need a copy of the receipt from Transport for London, showing the amount paid, payment reference and date of payment. You should also include any supporting information (method of payment, to whom and where payment was made) to help us resolve the matter quickly.

If the crossing was paid via a pre-paid account, you will need to provide us with evidence of the account including account number and name and address, and proof that the particular crossing was taken from the account.

You should send your evidence, including your CDER Group case reference, name and address to

Email: customercare@contactcder.co.uk

or

Post: CDER Group, PO Box 58, Darlington, DL1 9AE

We may need to contact you further if the information provided is insufficient to confirm that the payment relates to this penalty charge. Until we receive all the evidence needed we are required to continue recovery action.

Before issuing the unpaid penalty charge to CDER Group to collect on their behalf, Transport for London will have sent several letters and notices to the address they hold for you. This is generally the address you have given the DVLA as the registered keeper of the vehicle.

If they have received no reply to their correspondence by the due dates, they will have applied to the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC) to register the penalty as a debt, and sent an Order for Recovery to you.

If you have not received any of this correspondence, and you now wish to appeal against the penalty charge, you need to contact the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC), using an ‘out of time’ form to explain why you’re making a late challenge.

You can ask for more time to challenge a court order (‘order for recovery’) if you:

• were contacted about a penalty charge notice (PCN) you didn’t know about
• were contacted about a paid or cancelled PCN
• didn’t get a response to your formal challenge (‘representation’) or appeal

Once you have submitted your completed form to the TEC, you should contact us, providing evidence of the confirmation/acknowledgement email from the TEC, so we can temporarily suspend action on your case until your request has been considered by the TEC and Transport for London.

For more information about submitting an ‘out of time’ form, please refer to the GOV.UK website or contact the TEC helpdesk on 0300 123 1059.

If you have made a previous appeal (‘representation’) contesting this penalty charge, but have not received a reply, you need to contact the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC), using an ‘out of time’ form to explain why you’re making a late challenge.

You can ask for more time to challenge a court order (‘order for recovery’) if you:

• were contacted about a penalty charge notice (PCN) you didn’t know about
• were contacted about a paid or cancelled PCN
• didn’t get a response to your formal challenge (‘representation’) or appeal

Once you have submitted your completed form to the TEC, you should contact us, providing evidence of the application, so we can temporarily suspend action on your case until your request has been considered by the TEC and Highways England.

For more information about submitting an ‘out of time’ form, please refer to the GOV.UK website or contact the TEC helpdesk on 0300 123 1059.

The letter has been sent to your address on the instruction of our client, Transport for London. Generally this is because the name and address on the letter are still the current details held by the DVLA for you as the registered keeper of the vehicle.

To stop any further recovery action, you will need to provide us with proof that you are the current resident of the property. This can be either a recent mortgage or council tax statement, tenancy agreement or a utility bill dated within the last 3 months.

Once received we will:

• notify Transport for London so they can update their records
• remove your address, so you will receive no further letters or visits from us

Please be aware that if the documentation supplied is not clear we may need to contact you again to confirm the information.

You should send your evidence, including your CDER Group case reference, name and address to

Email: customercare@contactcder.co.uk

or

Post: PO Box 58, Darlington, DL1 9AE

We understand that this is an inconvenience, however until we receive this information we must act on the instructions we have been given. Please provide the information as soon as possible to avoid further inconvenience.

To stop further action in relation to this matter you need to provide evidence of the vehicle sale to

Email: customercare@contactcder.co.uk

or

Post: CDER Group, PO Box 58, Darlington, DL1 9AE

The evidence should include the following three documents:

• DVLA confirmation of the date you ceased to be the Registered Keeper of the vehicle
• Proof of sale (copy of receipt) to purchaser
• Cancellation of insurance

If you are unable to provide one of the above documents please explain why and provide any other further supporting evidence you have.

Please provide us with a copy of the following documents:

• The full V5 DVLA registration document for the vehicle
• Proof of purchase (Policy Document)
• Road Tax
• Proof of insurance (Receipt)
• Audit trail showing transfer of funds
• Copy of sales advertisement for vehicle (if available)

These should be sent by email to thirdpartykeepers@contactcder.co.uk.

We may need to contact you if the information provided is unclear. However in most circumstances we will be able to update the case immediately, stop recovery action in respect of the vehicle and notify Transport for London so they can update their records.

We understand that this is an inconvenience, however until evidence is received to confirm the change and timing of ownership we are required by Transport for London to continue recovery action, so please supply the information as soon as possible.

We are acting on the instructions of Transport for London, who will have obtained their information from the DVLA. To prevent further action please provide confirmation from DVLA that you have never been the owner of the vehicle to which this debt relates.

DVLA contact details can be found on their website: https://www.gov.uk/contact-the-dvla/

We understand that this is an inconvenience, however until DVLA confirmation is received we are required by Transport for London to continue recovery action.

You should pay the amount outstanding as soon as possible to avoid further fees being added.

You will find a ‘payment by’ date on the latest notification you have received from us. This will also tell you the balance outstanding and the various ways payment can be made.

This information, along with all case details, is available when you sign into the customer portal (click here) and you can make an online payment now using either a debit or credit card. You will need your CDER Group and Client references and security code which are shown on all communications received from us.

If you cannot find this information please call us on 0330 460 5296 (local rate) and one of our agents will be able to help you.

Do not ignore the correspondence you have received from us – the problem will not go away and we can help explore your options to resolve this matter.

If you are not able to pay the balance in full, you must contact us immediately on 0330 460 5296 (local rate) to discuss the payment options available to you and prevent further recovery action and additional costs.

Within the guidelines we have been given by Transport for London, we will work with you to agree a realistic payment arrangement based on an assessment of your circumstances.

Please be aware that payment arrangements are discretionary and failure to maintain the payment terms will result in further enforcement action.

If you are having difficulty managing your debts, and would like some free, independent advice, you can contact one of the agencies listed here.

The easiest way to avoid these penalties is to use TfL’s AutoPay service.