Uber to charge Londoners extra green fee as part of £200mln Clean Air Plan

Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE:UBER) will charge customers an additional fee in central London to help its drivers upgrade into an electric vehicle, as part of the group’s plans to make all cars on its app fully electric in the capital in 2025.

A ‘clean air fee’ of 15p per mile will be included on every trip booked through the Uber app in London from early next year, adding around 45p to an average trip in London.

Every driver using the app in London will be able to get help upgrading to an electric car, as part of Uber’s “Clean Air Plan”. The amount of support drivers receive will be based on the number of miles driven on the app.

The ride-sharing app expects to raise more than £200mln to support drivers transitioning to electric vehicles over the next few years and said it anticipated the first 20,000 drivers upgrading by the end of this year.

“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,” said chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi.

Uber also announced a diesel scrappage scheme aimed at removing 1,000 of the most polluting cars from London’s roads which will also launch early next year. The first 1,000 people in London to scrap a pre-Euro 4 diesel vehicle and provide an official scrappage certificate will receive up to £1,500 of credit to spend on Uber or uberPOOL rides.

Story by ProactiveInvestors