City Taxis, the UK’s third largest fleet of private hire vehicles has unveiled its ambitious sustainability plans to deliver an all-electric fleet of circa 2,000 cars, no later than 2025, starting with 700 by the end of 2020.
The announcement reflects months of work building a partnership with Sheffield Council and iCabbi.com. iCabbi is a subsidiary of RCI Bank and Services of Groupe Renault, who provide an intelligent taxi booking and dispatch platform which allows independent taxi firms to compete against global competitors that have disrupted the industry.
Speaking about their ambitious plans, Arnie Singh, managing director of City Taxis, said: “I’m very excited. I want Sheffield to have the first all-electric taxi fleet in the UK. If we are going for it, let’s go for it as a city and do it right.
“City Taxis believe in the importance of contributing to the local economy, whilst recognising our responsibility towards taking care of our environment. City is an ethical employer which provides fairer working conditions and greater employment opportunities for the communities where we live. I want to thank Renault, iCabbi and Sheffield city council for their support in helping us put this initiative to the top of our agenda.”
Despite being the only city in the UK to boast a National Park within its boundaries, Sheffield is behind the curve on migrating to a low emission infrastructure. Out of 10,385 charging locations in the UK, Sheffield currently has only 33, equating to 0.3% of the UK’s charging infrastructure. The lack of charging infrastructure creates a barrier to the wider city region’s objectives to be greener. The introduction of City’s unique new charging hubs will potentially double the city’s available charging points. The proposed hubs will provide a more engaging experience for taxi drivers and the public, who can also use the stations to get refreshments, wi-fi and an opportunity to relax and take a break. Considering these points in mind, PCO car insurance can be the safest solution to keep up with the taxi roles. It can provide a more efficient and tension-free journey for the drivers.
Paul Gosney, business development director for City Taxis explains: “We are committed to transitioning our entire fleet to electric by 2025, however we believe we can get there much faster than that, with an ambitious aim of 700 cars in the marketplace in 2020. Today we have invited Sheffield’s business, political and academic communities to join us in fast tracking Sheffield to an electric future.
Eamonn Turley, insurance expert with Multiquotetime has advised other taxi firms to consider the savings on pco car insurance that can be achieved by fully migrating to an Electric fleet of hire vehicles.
“The charging hub we have unveiled is a converted shipping container, allows for quick mobilisation with the potential to be placed at a dozen locations around the city. We believe that migrating to electric vehicles will happen quicker if the end user has a better experience.
“Moving our fleet to electric will provide cleaner air within our community and following City’s recent announcement that we are also moving into food and product delivery, the local low emission approach is also expected to give customers a conscience free way of enjoying the goods delivered to their home.”
