Dundee’s taxi fleet could be transformed by a green revolution of electric-powered cabs on the city’s streets.
Company boss David Young wants taxi licences for 30 pollution-free Nissan Leaf Acenta saloons and will take his case to the licensing committee this week.
He will apply first for 10 permits and if he is unsuccessful taxi numbers are strictly controlled he will take the alternative approach of putting them straight on to the road as private hire vehicles.
The entrepreneur is being opposed by Dundee Taxi Association who want toprotect the existing taxi trade, but Mr Young says he will not be deterred.
He is being supported by a UK environmental thinktank and by Dundee University, whose expert said replacing 100 diesel-powered taxis with electric cars would take 1,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions out of the city.
As well as tackling Dundee’s serious air pollution problem, his company’s £500,000 investment in electric-powered vehicles and equipment is for business reasons because of their lower operating costs.
The green revolution is the latest venture by the controversial figure in the Dundee taxi trade. Frustrated by a block on new taxi licences, Mr Young’s 203020 company first brought a fleet of silver Mercedes saloons to the city as private hire vehicles.
His company then brought distinctivesilver London-style hackney cabs to Dundee.
“This is not something we’re doing lightly,” he said.“We have spent a lot of money onelectric-powered vehicles and a rapidcharging facility at our Isla Street centre.
“We are doing this for business reasons and to do something about the shocking air pollution situation in Dundee.”
Friends of the Earth recently expressed concern about vehicle exhaust gases being a silent killer in the city.
Major thoroughfares like Seagate,Meadowside and Lochee Road were among the worst streets in Scotland for air pollution from nitrogen dioxide and particulates.
Targets for cleaning up Dundee’s air have not been met, and new evidence has linked long-term exposure to air pollution with increased risk of heart attacks andrespiratory diseases.
Mr Young thinks bringing electric taxis to Dundee is the radical measure that is needed and he has attracted some heavy dutysupport.
Environmental think tank Urban Foresight director Dr David Beeton has writtento the licensing committee sayingdecarbonising Scotland’s fleet of 20,000 taxis and private hire cars conforms with the Scottish Government’s vision to phase out fossil-fuelled vehicles.
Taxis’ high mileage makes them a disproportionately large contributor to problems of climate change and air quality, and he described Mr Young’s move as one of “global significance” and “an exciting opportunity for the city to be internationally recognised as a pioneer.”
Dundee University’s environment and sustainability officer Trudy Cunningham quantified the saving in carbon emissions,and said air quality would be greatly enhanced around taxi ranks in the citycentre.
“All eyes are on Dundee as we are the first city to consider switching a taxi fleet to electric,” she added.
Mr Young said: “I have taken off 70diesel Skoda private hire cars to replace them with the 30 electric Nissan Leaf Acentas in three lots of 10.
“The council want more electric-powered vehicles on Dundee’s streets and that is what we proposing to do.
“We would prefer to operate them as taxis and are asking the committee for a variation of their policy to allow this.
“If they don’t we will put them on asprivate hire vehicles but will keep trying for taxi licences.”