Zero contact and zero emissions: “Covid safe” electric taxis to launch in Sydney

The Driven

A fleet of 120 electric taxis offering a “zero contact” transport alternative will launch in Sydney in coming weeks, the first in a planned 2,000 fleet as part of a “Clean Air Taxi” initiative by new e-taxi platform ETaxiCo.

As NSW begins to lift stay-at-home measures put in place to restrict the spread of the highly contagious novel Coronavirus, ETaxiCo plans to launch the fleet under a “Zero Contact, Zero Emissions” campaign.

Cities around the world report a vast improvement in air quality due to the drop in transport-related pollution, and the likes of Milan are considering measures to keep traffic down, and the e-taxi fleet is being touted as a small step for Sydney in the same direction.

The program has the support of Northern Beaches mayor Michael Regan as well as federal member for Warringah Zali Steggall, who ousted former PM and climate science denier Tony Abbott from the seat in 2019 on a platform of climate change initiatives

Luke Todd, managing director of ETaxiCo’s parent company Nexport, says he also hopes the program will encourage a return to using taxis, which had already been declining before Covid-19 due to ride-sharing companies such as Uber.

“We believe it will inspire the taxi market to move organically towards to EV take up instead of ICE or hybrid,” Todd tells The Driven.

“While we applaud the efforts to date of many operators moving to hybrid, we are looking at taking it to the next level of complete zero emissions vehicles which will become mainstream in coming years.”

To read the full version of this story – and view the photo gallery – on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…

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