Black cabs keen to go green

Four in every five London taxi drivers are interested in switching to electric taxis. A survey of nearly 1,200 London taxi drivers revealed 80% of them are either “interested” or […]

Four in every five London taxi drivers are interested in switching to electric taxis.

A survey of nearly 1,200 London taxi drivers revealed 80% of them are either “interested” or “very interested” in buying a zero-emission taxi, according to black cab manufacturer London Taxi Company (LTC).

If the ultra-low emission vehicles are as popular as the survey suggests, they could lead to a dramatic improvement in London’s air quality when they go into production next year.

Deputy Mayor for Transport Valerie Shawcross said: “We need to take every step we can to clean up London’s polluted air. It’s great to hear taxi drivers are ready to play their part. We are committed to helping the industry thrive and will be working with TfL to ensure that we do everything we can to make sure this vital transition as quick and easy as possible.”

LTC and London authorities plan to improve the city’s sustainable infrastructure by providing 150 rapid charging points by 2018 and 300 by 2020 across the city.

An ultra-low emission vehicle was one of the key goals of the taxi trade’s Faster, Greener, Smarter campaign earlier this year, in which cab drivers, tech companies and LTC came together for the first time to discuss and plan the future of London’s taxi trade.

A number of proposals set out in the plan have already been introduced by the Mayor’s team.

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