The new goals are partly in response to legislation passed by London’s transport agency. This mandates that by 2020 all new private hire vehicles operating in the capital must be zero emissions capable. Uber has been aggressive in pursuing this goal, expanding its fleet of all-electric vehicles in London to 150 earlier this year.
And how will it pay for this? Partly by adding 35p to the cost of every ride taken in the capital, with all proceeds from this surcharge going towards the new fund. (Shared trips on UberPool will be excluded.) It’ll be Uber’s customers, then, that help meet the cost of the company’s government-enforced obligations to go green.