TAXI drivers across Malvern Hills are being urged to go green and save money with the announcement licence fees will be scrapped for fully electric vehicles.
Licence fees for taxi drivers with fully electric vehicles will be scrapped to encourage more people to go green.
The plans, approved by Malvern Hills District Council’s Executive Committee, will see a waiver scheme implemented for the application fees to licence a vehicle as a Hackney carriage or private hire where it is fully electric.
Both licences currently cost £285.
The proposal sims to provide an incentive for licence holders to transition towards fully electric vehicles from those fuelled by petrol or diesel.
The waiver is set to start when the council’s fees and charges for 2022/23 take effect in April 2022 and it would then be reviewed annually.
One of the key headings in the Destination Zero report is low carbon travel. One of the actions identified in the plan is to engage with taxi drivers locally to encourage and support them to switch to low emission vehicles.
The council’s Destination Zero report explains how they will contribute to reducing carbon emissions from their own operations. It also sets out how they will use their leadership role to help individuals, businesses and communities play their part in reducing the district’s overall carbon emissions.
Coun Tom Wells, Malvern Hills District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Services, said: “This licence fee change will hopefully work as an incentive to encourage taxi drivers to think about their carbon footprint and to go fully electric.
“It is part of the council’s vision to go carbon neutral as quickly as possible, but by 2050 at the latest.”
Objections to the licencing fee change can be made within 28 days and if any are received during this period, they will be considered at a future Executive Committee meeting.
Visit www.malvernhills.gov.uk/licensing for more.
