‘On the right road’

Black cab drivers’ union Unite praised mayor of London Sadiq Kahn for listening and acting after he announced a revised £42m package for the capital’s diesel taxi decommissioning scheme.

Transport for London (TfL) and the mayor had initially pledged £18 million to help switch London’s black cab fleet to electric in December of last year, leading Unite to warn that it was not ambitious enough and could lead to the capital’s black cab drivers holding onto diesel taxis for longer.

“More of the capital’s black cab drivers will now be able to make the switch to electric thanks to today’s commitment from the mayor of London Sadiq Khan,” said Jim Kelly from Unite’s London cab section.

“The mayor has clearly listened to the concerns drivers had about his and TfL’s original proposals,” he added. “We now have a revised package that puts London’s cab drivers on the right road in playing their part to help clean up the capital’s air.

“Unite looks forward to working with TfL and the mayor in taking the diesel taxi decommissioning scheme forward in the coming weeks and months ahead.”