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Clean Air Zone

Bristol Clean Air Zone hospital exemptions for patients and visitors have been extended until Tuesday 31 December 2024.

Some of our hospitals are within the Bristol Clean Air Zone (CAZ).

If you have any enquires about the Clean Air Zone and exemptions, please call the Bristol City Council helpline 0117 903 6385, or visit www.bristol.gov.uk/cleanairzone. 

Check if your vehicle will be charged

Use the government's vehicle checker to find out if you will be charged  www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones

If the vehicle you are travelling in does not meet the CAZ standards, there are exemptions for some hospital patients and visitors in place. These include:

  • Regular outpatients-If you have to come to one of our city centre hospitals for a minimum of three or more appointments a month in a three-month period.
  • Visitors-Visitors of long stay inpatients will continue to be able to request a 7-day exemption if their vehicle does not meet the zone's emissions standards.

In addition, until Tuesday 31 December 2024, trial exemptions are also available for:

  • People who are eligible for support under the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS)
  • People attending the emergency departments at either Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children or Bristol Eye Hospital
  • People attending hospital to receive cancer treatment.
  • People attending hospital to receive end-of-life care.

How do I apply for a hospital exemption?

Patients
If you meet one of the above criteria, please complete this online form to request a CAZ exemption at least three working days before, or three days after, your appointment. You will need to know the make, model and registration number of the vehicle you are travelling in.

Patients attending our emergency departments
You can apply for a CAZ exemption using  this online form on the day of your visit or up to four days after attending one of our emergency departments in the city centre of Bristol. Please be aware the CAZ charge runs midnight to midnight, so visits that go beyond midnight will need to be registered twice. You will need to know the make, model and registration number of the vehicle you are travelling in.

End-of-life care
 Patients or their carer can complete the online form. However, if you need support requesting the exemption, please speak to a member of staff. For visitors of end-of-life patients who need a CAZ exemption, please see the visitor of inpatients information below.

Visitors of inpatients
Visitors of inpatients can request an exemption if they need one by completing the online booking form. The discounted parking rate for visitors will also be applied. Discounted parking and CAZ exemptions are available for up to two visitor vehicles per patient. This is available for up to seven days at a time for the duration of the inpatient stay.

Technical assistance with filling out a hospital exemption form
If you need technical help filling in a hospital exemption form, please leave a message for the hospital Travel team on 0117 342 0667. This answer machine is only for patients and visitors who cannot fill out the hospital exemption form themselves, and do not have someone who can do it on their behalf. Once we have received your message, we will call back and help you fill out your form. Our hospital staff cannot help with general CAZ enquiries.