Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by the number of taxi drivers who switched to electric vehicles and miles driven with zero tailpipe emissions (no exhaust pipe emitting carbon emissions, nitrogen dioxide or unhealthy particles); improvements to local air quality; and our contribution to the increasing number of people driving electric instead of petrol/diesel vehicles.
Our story
Denbighshire County Council's Electric Taxi Scheme gave local taxi drivers the chance to trial electric cars so that they could understand first-hand the financial and environmental benefits of a driving a zero-emission vehicle. The offer was made to licensed drivers, using the wheelchair-accessible Nissan Dynamo taxi E-NV200, as part of a 30 day 'try before you buy' scheme.
Terms of the scheme meant that the taxi drivers could try the vehicle free of charge for 30 days and also receive free electric charging at specific locations in the county, as well as vehicle licensing, breakdown cover and insurance.
The pilot attracted 28 taxi drivers and resulted in thousands of 'green' miles for drivers and passengers. The Denbighshire project was the only North Wales pilot of the zero-emission green taxi scheme, funded by the Welsh Government as it makes progress towards the goal of de-carbonising the Welsh taxi fleet entirely by 2028.
In our evaluation and from the feedback received by drivers and passengers, the Electric Taxi Scheme was a success. Other programmes have since taken over to continue the momentum and this original scheme is no longer running.
Our advice
Perseverance – That's definitely at the top of the list. There will be setbacks and at times you may feel it's too challenging a process due to the number of partners you will need to involve, but it will all be worth it when the plan comes together.
You need to speak to other local authorities, and not just in Wales. We found that some councils were very helpful, particularly those in Dundee, Nottingham, and Coventry. We are sure they would do the same for anyone else setting up a similar scheme.
Engage with drivers – this is an absolute must. Go to the taxi ranks with your vehicle where they can talk to you directly and see the car for themselves. If you speak to your local authority, they will have a complete list of licensed drivers and it's worth seeing if you can email them directly with details about the project.
Know your vehicle inside and out. You are going to get all sorts of questions and you will need to know the answers without hesitation. If things go wrong with anything, like the charging process, you need to be able to explain why and provide advice and a solution. If you know your stuff, you can counter any negative before a driver decides it's not for him or her.
We have found it helpful to monitor vehicle journeys with dash cams and telematics. It's good for drivers to know that monitoring is part of the deal.
If you're going to develop charging infrastructure as part of your project, you can't start these conversations too soon. Speak to your Distribution Network Operator ("DNO") as a priority at the start.
Be prepared for a potential lack of engagement initially. Not everyone will see the value of what you are trying to do straight away and that's only to be expected. What we found was that as soon as one or two drivers come around to the idea, others will follow, because a local taxi service is a small world, and everyone knows everyone. The project's credibility is not going to come from you, but the drivers who come on board and give it the thumbs up.
