Posted on the 23rd March 2026 in PHTM News

BRADFORD FLEET MANAGER SLAMS "RIDICULOUS" CLEAN AIR ZONE FINES

A private hire fleet manager has hit out at Bradford’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) after being forced to manually appeal dozens of "incorrect" fines for vehicles he says are fully compliant.

Hassan Shah, who manages a fleet for Arrow Cars, branded the situation "ridiculous" after his minibuses were repeatedly flagged for charges despite being CAZ compliant, as confirmed when licensed by Bradford Council

Mr. Shah revealed he has received over 50 fines in three years, noting that "each of which he has to laboriously appeal - by hand." 

One single vehicle in his fleet has been fined ten times. He expressed frustration that the council requires appeals to be sent by post rather than email, claiming "they’re just making it difficult on purpose." 

Before he took over the role, his company had unknowingly paid out £3,000 in CAZ charges for vehicles that should have been exempt.

The fleet manager is now raising the alarm for the wider industry, asking: "How many other hundreds or thousands of private hire drivers from other cities will have been charged illegally and incorrectly?" 

He told the Telegraph & Argus that he has been passed between the council, the CAZ authorities, and the DVLA with no solution. 

"No one can give me definitive answers as to why this is happening," he said, adding that "no one seems to be taking ownership on behalf of hundreds, if not thousands, of private hire drivers."

In response, Bradford Council stated that it relies on the government’s central DVLA database to issue fines but admitted a gap exists for drivers licensed outside the city. While local vehicles are automatically tracked, the council explained that "this cannot be replicated nationwide as Bradford Council doesn’t manage the national database."

To avoid unfair fines, the council is urging out-of-town owners of compliant 5-8 seat vehicles to manually apply for exemptions. For those already hit with tickets, a spokesperson advised that "where a licensed vehicle proprietor believes a PCN has been issued and their vehicle is of a compliant standard, we request that the PCN appeal process is followed."

However, the DVLA has distanced itself from the charging logic, insisting it only acts as a record keeper. A spokesperson for the agency clarified that "decisions about which vehicles are chargeable in the Bradford CAZ are set and enforced by Bradford Council," adding that the council remains "best placed to comment on how their rules apply in these cases."


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