Proposals announced today (Wednesday 19 December) by Transport for
London (TfL) and Sadiq Kahn the Mayor of London to switch London’s
black cab fleet to electric are not ambitious enough and could lead
to the capital’s black cab drivers holding onto diesel taxis for
longer, Unite the union. Highlighting that the £18 million package
falls short of the initial £40 million promised for the mayor’s
decommissioning scheme, Unite warned that proposals to speed up the
reduction in age...Request free trial
Proposals announced today (Wednesday 19 December) by Transport for
London (TfL) and Sadiq Kahn the Mayor of London to switch London’s
black cab fleet to electric are not ambitious enough and could lead
to the capital’s black cab drivers holding onto diesel taxis for
longer, Unite the union.
Highlighting that the £18 million package falls short
of the initial £40 million promised for the mayor’s decommissioning
scheme, Unite warned that proposals to speed up the reduction in
age limits for London’s black cabs would reduce trade-in values,
leaving drivers with smaller deposits to put down on electric
replacements.
Added to that, a lack of infrastructure and investment
in dedicated charging points for electric taxis by TfL and local
councils could leave the take up of electric taxis in the slow
lane, the union said.
Calling for TfL and the Mayor of London to engage with
the capital’s cab drivers, Jim Kelly from Unite’s London cab
section said: “These proposals represent a £22 million cut in
the money promised for decommissioning diesel cabs on London’s
roads and could result in de-incentivising the switch to electric
taxis in the short to the medium term.
“Added to that, you have a chronic lack of investment in charging
points leading to taxi drivers waiting for over two hours to charge
their electric cab.
“Short on ambition, there is a real risk that these proposals will
end up as nothing more than a dog’s breakfast and lead to cab
drivers holding on to diesel vehicles for longer or going out
business.
“We would urge TfL and the mayor to think again, and work with
London’s cab drivers on a package of measures that properly
incentivises the switch to electric black cabs and reduces
emissions.”
