Uber backs Sadiq Khan’s road-charging proposals for London

Uber has swung its weight behind proposals from the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, for more road charges as it unveiled plans to expand zero-emission cab services.

The ride-hailing firm said it had more than doubled the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on its app in London to 5,000 in the past year, which will allow it to widen out its Uber Green service - where users can request only EV drivers - from the city centre to cover the whole of greater London in the spring.

Uber's UK boss said its growth in EVs was in part down to the "strong leadership" of the mayor and said the firm "absolutely supported" Khan in planning to levy more charges to ease congestion and pollution.

Jamie Heywood, Uber's general manager for northern and eastern Europe, said the firm had committed to being fully electric in the capital by 2025, adding: "The reason we were able to do that is because of the strong leadership the mayor has shown in electrifying London and trying to manage things like congestion and pollution.

"We've spent a lot of the last four years leaning in to join with the momentum the mayor has created to support our drivers."

Uber's London licence comes up for renewal in March. It won an 18-month extension on appeal in 2020, after Transport for London initially rejected its application due to safety concerns.

Uber introduced a clean air fee in 2018 that added 15p a mile to London journeys - now totalling a £145m pot, giving the average driver more than £3,000 in an individual savings account to redeem against the purchase of an electric car.