Cancer patients slapped with Ulez fines struggling with refunds despite Sadiq Khan promise
28 November 2024, 10:20 | Updated: 28 November 2024, 10:24
Cancer patients facing Ulez fines for travelling into London for hospital treatment are struggling to recoup the money from Transport for London despite a promise from the Mayor of London.
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Sadiq Khan had previously promised that those undergoing cancer treatment in London would be exempt from the fines, with those travelling by car able to apply for the £12.50 refund.
However, some patients have been left fighting to recoup the costs after being slapped with the fines.
A map showing London’s ultra-low emission zone confirmed that the charge would only apply to some patients going to their appointments.
It comes as a cancer charity said three in five people are unaware that they are exempt, while others are fighting to get their money back.
A spokesman for King's College hospital has said: “We have continued to submit monthly claims to Transport for London (TfL) for patients eligible for Ulez reimbursement.
'However, since the spring 2024, we have experienced difficulty in getting some claims processed. We have raised this with the TfL complaints team.”
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After the Mayor London expanded the plan last summer, hundreds of hospitals have been pulled into the Ulez net.
LBC has contacted Transport for London for comment.
TFL's terms state that patients that are too weak or disabled to travel by public transport, or who suffer from other issues
Jasmin Sarll, 30, said that during her now 4-year-old son’s cancer treatment and liver transplant, she was fined hundreds of pounds on Ulez charges.
In 2022, Hugo Sarll was two years old when he was diagnosed with liver cancer and was referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital and had treatment at King’s College Hospital.
During Hugo's chemotherapy Ms Sarll spent more than £250 on Ulez charges as well as nearly £100 for parking every time he needed to stay in hospital for up to three days.
She told The Telegraph: “If you could plan in your head that this was going to happen, you’d get an Ulez-exempt car. But it is ridiculous.”
Ms Earl was charged two £90 fines after she forgot to pay the Ulez charge, both were cancelled after charity Young Lives vs Cancer contacted TfL for her.
Hugo has been in recovering for more than a year, Ms Sarll said: “We were never once told we could claim back Ulez, or obviously we would have.”
Rachel Kirby-Rider, chief executive at Young Lives vs Cancer responded: “We know young people and families face an extra £250 a month on average to travel to treatment – treatment which is frequent and can often last years.
“While young people with cancer and their families are able to claim their Ulez charges back, there is a lack of communication about what families can claim back.
Our research shows 59pc of families are unaware that such schemes exist.”
TfL carried out an impact assessment which revealed that the charges mean increased costs for older people, disabled people and those with underlying health conditions, who must to travel in for treatment.
A TfL spokesman said: “We are very sorry for the distress that Ms Sarll has experienced.
'We had already accepted the representation she made and cancelled the penalty charges she incurred during these challenging circumstances.”
A spokesman added: “We are also in contact with Ms Sarll about the Ulez charges she paid during visits to the hospital, and will refund these as a gesture of goodwill.”
