LONDON

London’s first ever all-electric fleet of black taxis was launched yesterday.

The fleet of 150 vehicles will be delivered via the Sherbet RIDE app, allowing Londoners access to the first taxi app that will allow them to pick from a fleet of exclusively electric vehicles.

Sherbet RIDE has been launched to provide Londoners with a premium black taxi service that minimises the user’s environmental impact. The black taxi industry is still worth £1.4bn to the London economy and Sherbet RIDE aims to bring the best of the London black taxi industry’s heritage to the modern day.

This will be achieved through stringent driver training and the innovative use of technology to maximise passenger experience minimise environmental impact. As well as providing a unique offer to Londoners, Sherbet Taxis are also aiming to future-proof the London black taxi industry in the face of impending new legislation

From April 2019, Transport for London will introduce the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) in Central London in an attempt to reduced congestion and pollution in the capital. Vehicles entering the ULEZ will have to be compliant with new exhaust emission standards or they will need to pay a daily charge to enter the area.

The service is the brainchild of Asher Moses. He said, ‘London’s black taxi industry is in my blood and I am frustrated that it sometimes gets a bad press. The heritage of the London black taxi industry is built upon putting the passenger at the heart of everything we do and offering the best in customer service. With the rise of ride-sharing apps across London, we feel the industry at large has lost sight of this. The service aims to help the London black taxi industry reclaim its Central London heartland through the offer of an environmental, tech-enabled passenger-focused service.’

https://goo.gl/E83TcH