Uber pledges to help improve air quality in London.
Casey Gutteridge/CPG Photography Ltd
Uber promised on Tuesday that by 2025 every single car summoned through its app in London will be an electric vehicle.
The company’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced the £200 million ($260m) Clean Air Plan during a visit to the British capital, supporting the city Mayor Sadiq Kahn’s plan vision to make London a healthier place to live. The money to implement the plan will come from a levy on passenger fees.
Uber has been on the charm offensive in the UK ever since London’s transport regulator refused to renew the company’s license to operate in September 2017. In June a court decided Uber was fit to hold a probationary license to operate in the city for the next 15 months, giving the company time to prove its commitment to abiding by London’s rules.
“The Mayor of London has set out a bold vision to tackle air pollution in the capital and we’re determined to do everything we can to back it,” said Khosrowshahi in a statement.
As part of the plan, Uber customers in London can expect to see prices rise slightly, with a “clean air fee” of 15 pence per mile added to fares, which will be used to help drivers upgrade to electric vehicles. Every driver working through the Uber app in the city can expect financial assistance from the company to upgrade, with the amount differing depending on number of years they’ve been working with Uber and the number of miles driven.
Uber also said it is working with home charge companies and ChargePoint to provide better energy options for drivers. It is also in talks with electric vehicle suppliers. The company expects the first 20,000 drivers will upgrade to electric vehicles by 2021, with the full fleet electric by 2025.