Uber Green now offers fully electric rides across Central London.
Uber may not have the most spotless record when it comes to serving Londoners, but the latest initiative from the ride-hailing app certainly is a laudable one. Uber Green, which launched on Monday, now allows Londoners to request a fully electric vehicle for their journeys. It’s the first time in the UK that passengers will be able to hail a fully electric ride, and the hope is that it marks the first step towards a greener, cleaner transport economy.
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With London opening up once more under the rules of England’s roadmap out of lockdown, the number of car and taxi journeys is certain to trend upwards in the coming weeks and months. By offering the Uber Green service, it’s hoped that climate-conscious Londoners will take up the option instead of petrol or diesel cars. Helpfully, these trips won’t cost any more than a regular UberX journey, and drivers of fully electric cars will also receive a higher fare for each trip as a result of a lower service fee – encouraging both passengers and drivers to go electric more quickly.
The knock-on effects of such a scheme could – in its most successful guise – reduce emissions, encourage higher uptake of electric cars, and help combat London’s notoriously poor air quality, though such benefits won’t be seen immediately. Uber also have plans for a fully electric London fleet by 2025, with 2030 the target date for their cars across the UK as a whole. At present, the scheme is only available in Zone 1, but here’s hoping it becomes a city-wide effort before long.