Uber is adding a surcharge to its fares to help pay for cleaner vehicles.
The minicab app firm announced that all vehicles operating standard uberX journeys in London will be hybrid or fully electric by the end of 2019.
It is hoping to reach the same standard across the rest of the UK by 2022.
Jonathan, an Uber driver from London, drives a ‘green’ electric vehicle to mark the launch of Uber’s Clean Air Plan (Matt Alexander/PA)
From next month, a 35-pence surcharge will be added to fares in London to help fund a scheme whereby Uber drivers can receive up to £5,000 towards the cost of upgrading their car to a hybrid or electric model.
A fee will also be added to journeys in other towns and cities over the next year.
Other measures being introduced by Uber include offering up to £1,500 of credit to 1,000 people scrapping an old diesel vehicle and a goal of making every Uber vehicle in London electric by 2025.
Uber passengers Tess and Natasha test out the new green electric vehicle (Matt Alexander/PA)
Fred Jones, Uber’s head of UK cities, said: “Air pollution is a growing problem and we’re determined to play our part in tackling it with this bold plan.
“Londoners already know many cars on our app are hybrids but we want to go much further and go all electric in the capital.
“Our scrappage scheme will also take polluting vehicles off the road and encourage Londoners to get into a shared car to connect with public transport instead.”