Uber Boat warns UK renewable fuel policy changes to make river transport too expensive
In late 2025, changes to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) was broadened in some areas around aviation and some non-biological maritime fuels, but vessels operating on tidal rivers and estuaries, including the River Thames, however remain unresolved in terms Renewable Transport Fuel Certificate (RTFC) eligibility for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).
Uber Boat by Thames Clippers says the change is inconsistent with the Government’s own definitions of inland waterways and its published Net Zero and Clean Air strategies. The company argues that a bus and a river service can make comparable journeys across London using the same transition fuel, yet only the bus remains eligible for RTFCs. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers says the distinction means scheduled river services operating on tidal waterways are treated differently from comparable public transport services despite pursuing the same emissions reductions.
Rather than seeking a new subsidy or tax exemption, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is calling for the policy framework eligibility be extended to include tidal rivers and estuaries.
The company says the result is that Government policy is making cleaner fuel more expensive relative to conventional diesel, discouraging the use of HVO as transition fuel. Subsequently, the increased cost has forced Uber Boat by Thames Clippers to return to conventional diesel on parts of its fleet. Using HVO saves an estimated 17,152 tonnes of CO2e but is nearly a 50% increase in price per litre to that of marine diesel.
Category: Policy
