Drivers of certain vehicles could get up to £10,000 off an electric vehicle as part of a scheme launched by a major authority to help encourage drivers to ditch petrol and diesel cars.
Cardiff City Council has announced its new grant for taxis in the region in a bid to help the city meet its net zero goals by 2030.
Under the plans, driverswithEuro 4 and Euro 5 diesel vehicles could be eligible for a local authority grant to help them transition to a cleaner vehicle.
The grants range from £5,000 to £10,000 per vehicle and will be given to drivers to help with the purchase of more fuel-efficient Euro 6 vehicles as well as fully electric vehicles.
Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailingmotoring@gbnews.uk
Cardiff City Council is currently offering up to £10,000 for cab drivers to switch to an electric model
PA/GETTY
The need for greener vehicles comes after research detailed how full-time taxi drivers in the UK cover between25,000 and 45,000 milesyearlycontributing heavily to the pollution levels and poor air quality.
The official figures are significantly higher than the average 7,500 miles covered by a driver in the UK with diesel and petrol cars causing harm more harm to the environment.
Councillor Dan 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 put this vital component in the city's transport network on the road to a cleaner, greener future."
The council has already spent £200,000 on grants to help taxi drivers make the switch and formspart of the authority’s plan to be net zero by 2030.
Councillor Michael Michael explained that there is "little doubt" that climate change is the "defining global challenge of our generation". This council had previously declared a climate emergency in 2019 and has been working hard to become carbon neutral by 2030.
He added: "As part of our One Planet strategy, we have projects already up and running or ready to go which, when fully implemented, will reduce our emissions by 57 per cent by 2030.
"We also have a series of proposals, which we are now developing business cases for, which we believe will deliver a carbon-neutral council by 2030."
The move by Cardiff council also follows a similar measure launched by the previous Conservative Government which is expected to expire on April 5.
The plug-in taxi grant offered a discount on eligible taxis of up to £6,000 which could be used to help purchase an electric taxi with a range of at least 70 miles and emissions of less than 50g of CO2/km.
The lower grant option of £3,000 was available for drivers to help purchase zero-emission vehicles with a range of 10 to 69 miles and emissions of less than 50g of CO2/km.
Since its introduction in 2017, the Plug-in Taxi Grant has provided more than £50million to drivers with over 9,000 zero emission cabs purchased, Government data shows.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
- DVSA issues urgent MOT test warning ahead of March deadline - 'You still have time'
- Trump threatens 25% tariff on cars as Ford warns they will 'blow a hole in the industry that we have never seen'
- Major car brands could axe British jobs without urgent changes as Stellantis confirms Luton factory closure
Taxis drivers can still apply for the plug-in grant until April 5
GETTYSpeaking previously, former Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, Anthony Browne, said taxis are "a vital part" of the transport network.
He said: "From Redbridge to White City, it’s now more likely than ever that your black cab will be green, with the majority of taxis sold in London now being electric. The grant has been a huge success so far, and I’m pleased our funding will be continued for another year to help cabbies make the switch to new vehicles."
