A Cardiff Council scheme has provided more than £200,000 of grants to enable the city's taxi drivers to upgrade to more fuel efficient or fully electric vehicles.
Every year the average full-time taxi driver in the UK clocks up anything from 25,000 to 45,000 miles of driving1 – significantly more than the approximately 7,500 miles2 the average UK driver covers. Cardiff's Hackney Carriage fleet consists of many older, Euro 4 and Euro 5 diesel vehicles, meaning much of that mileage has a negative impact on the planet, and local air quality.
Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport, Cllr De'Ath said:
“Transport accounts for around a third of the carbon emissions created in Cardiff, and the negative health impact of air pollution is well-documented. These grants help support the decarbonisation of Cardiff's taxi fleet and puts this vital component in the city's transport network on the road to a cleaner, greener future.”
Ranging from £5,000 – £10,000 per vehicle, the grants support drivers to purchase more modern and fuel-efficient Euro 6 vehicles as well as fully electric vehicles.
The grants form part of the Council's One Planet Cardiff response to climate change which has seen a new solar farm delivered, 100,000 new trees planted, low-carbon energy efficient council housing built, and a growing network of segregated cycleways installed, alongside a wide range of other projects and initiatives.
