The goal is to reduce pollution, the city's mayor explains

Jan 17, 2014 09:20 GMT  ·  By

According to a press release posted on the official website for Transport for London this past January 16, all new taxis that wish to receive a license to operate in the city starting the very first day of the year 2018 will have to be zero-emission capable.

At a recent event, Mayor of London Boris Johnson explained that the goal of this initiative was to reduce local levels of air pollution linked to the transportation sector.

“As part of my mission to improve our air quality and drive innovation, I'm making a firm pledge to Londoners that from 2018 all taxis presented for licensing should be zero emission capable,” the mayor said in a statement.

The event where the city's mayor announced his plans to set in place this green-oriented piece of legislation was Transport for London's “New Taxis for London.”

While at this gathering, Boris Johnson talked to five vehicle manufacturers that are currently in the business of designing and marketing taxis that release no greenhouse gases emissions.

These manufacturers are Frazer-Nash, Nissan, Karsan, London Taxi Company and Mercedes-Benz, Transport for London details in its press release.

By the looks of it, at least some of them are expected to help London's taxi fleet green up its ways.

The new generation of environmentally friendly taxis that will hit London streets in the not so distant future will be required to operate in zero-emission mode especially in urban areas where air pollution levels are fairly elevated.

Thus, their drivers will have to switch to said mode while cruising around London's central parts.

On its website, Transport for London stresses that, although this initiative is scheduled to officially come into effect on January 1, 2018, efforts will nonetheless be made to encourage drivers to get behind the wheel of zero-emission capable taxis sooner rather than later.

“To assist taxi drivers and encourage the early adoption of the new greener vehicles before the 2018 deadline, the Mayor and TfL are now exploring a number of supporting measures with the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and are in discussion with the Green Investment Bank around financial options to help the capital's transition to zero emission capable taxis,” Transport for London says.