NEW measures to stop ageing taxis adding to pollution levels in Oxford will form part of a new clean air initiative.

A move to rid the city of “dirty taxis” has been agreed by Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council, in a package that will also see buses in Oxford having their emissions legally capped to cut pollution.

County Hall has agreed to apply for a legal limit on emissions as part of joint plans with the city council to create a Low Emissions Zone (LEZ).

The councils say the crackdown on cabs will be designed to ensure they meet the same standards as buses.

With green buses and coaches fleets being introduced by the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach, an investigation is to be held into pollution from taxis.

A county council report said: “Taxis and private hire vehicles enjoy many of the same benefits as buses in Oxford, such as access to most traffic-restricted streets and use of bus lanes and bus gates.

“It would be appropriate for the same emissions standards to apply to all vehicles enjoying those benefits.

“The city council is the taxi licensing authority and has powers to set and enforce emissions standards for taxis and licensed private hire vehicles.”

The city council is now investigating options about how best to impose emission controls on both taxis and licensed private hire vehicles.

Ibrar Mohammed, manager of Oxford-based Royal Cars, said many taxis in the city already met European emission standards and said the company was testing hybrid cars.

But one cabbie, who declined to be named, said he feared the emission cap would be unfair, because it would not apply to cabs coming into the city from other areas.