UNITED KINGDOM – Uber, the world’s largest ride hailing app, has entered into an agreement with Nissan to introduce a fleet of 2,000 Leaf hatchbacks for its drivers.
The ride hailing giant said in a statement that the decision was part of a broader push from the company to tackle air pollution by ensuring all of its vehicles in London are all-electric by 2025.
The CNBC report quoted Uber as saying that it would offer drivers in the UK electric cars from Nissan at a discount, even as it faced a potential ban in London.
It stated, “The ride-hailing operator has signed an agreement with Nissan to introduce a fleet of 2,000 of the Japanese automaker’s Leaf hatchbacks for drivers using its app in Britain.
“While the deal is technically open to all UK drivers, it’s primarily targeted at those working in London.”
In 2018, the company announced plans to charge passengers in London 15 pence per mile on every trip to help its drivers buy electric cars.
That fee had so far helped raise over £80m ($105m) since its introduction, Uber said, adding that it expected to pull in £200m in total over the next few years.
Uber said it had seen a 350 per cent increase in rides being taken with electric vehicles since the clean air charge was introduced.
The deal with Nissan came at a difficult time for the company, where it faces a threat of being blocked in the UK’s capital after Transport for London stripped it of its licence.
Uber has since appealed the move, and can continue operating in the city while it fights the ban in the court.
Uber’s vehicle of choice, the Nissan Leaf, is said to be among the best-selling electric cars with over 450,000 sales.
The CNBC report noted that the company’s efforts on clean energy were not a coincidence as London Mayor Sadiq Khan had made it his priority to clean up the city’s dirty air.
A strict daily charge of £12.50 is said to have been imposed on drivers of older, polluting petrol and diesel vehicles in an area dubbed low emission zone.
