To aid efforts to cut pollution in England’s capital, Uber has announced that London is going to be its first all-electric market. It aims that all of its taxis in the city will be electric by 2025. To nudge drivers in this direction, the company is now adding a clean air free to rides so that drivers can start opting for greener vehicles.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has picked London as its first city to implement its electric vehicle plans. It hasn’t been smooth sailing for the company in this metropolis recently. It lost its license to operate in London last year and got it back only recently.
“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,” the CEO said in a statement. The fee that it’s tacking on rides will help its drivers buy electric vehicles. It’s expected to be a 15p per mile charge and will be implemented in early 2019, according to the company.
This means that drivers who work for 40 hours a week could get an additional £1,500 a year from passengers through this fee. Uber expects this fee will raise over £200m ($260m) in the next few years which would go a long way in helping drivers swap their existing vehicles for greener options.