Capita congestion charge improvements due to begin

Improvements to London's congestion charging scheme, which contractor Capita was handed an additional £31m to implement, are expected to kick in by the end of this month, according to Transport for London's (TfL) report on its first six months.

Mayor Ken Livingstone was forced to approve the additional payment earlier this year so that Capita could employ more staff and upgrade IT systems to improve the enforcement of penalty notices on thousands of motorists who are failing to pay fines for evading the £5 a day charge to drive into the capital.

Initial enhancements will be noticeable from the end of this month with the upgrade complete by March 2004, the report said.

One method of payment that has proved popular among motorists is text messaging, which has steadily increased since the start of the scheme. A quarter are also using the internet to pay their charge.

"Mobile phone text messaging has proved to be an increasingly popular payment method, with payment share increasing from 12 per cent in the early weeks of the scheme to around 19 per cent," said the report.

TfL described it as a "welcome development" given the "efficiency and ease of payment the text message service offers".

The report claims that the ultimate aim of the congestion charging scheme – to reduce the number of cars in central London – has been more successful than initially predicted, which has hit the profits generated from the scheme. It is expected to generate £68m this financial year for spending on transport improvements and £80m to £100m in future years.

There has been a 30 per cent reduction in cars and a 10 per cent reduction in vans and lorries inside the zone since it started, with an increase in taxis, buses, bicycles and motorbikes.