Cardiff government is pushing taxi drivers to switch to electric vehicles. Is Cardiff’s green transport scheme truly benefiting taxi drivers?
On the side of a street in Cardiff city centre, Shakill Ahmed, a taxi driver sits in his diesel car, staring at every passing pedestrian, trying to find his next passenger. He fears missing out on any opportunity to make money. In today’s competitive and tough business environment, every single deal counts.
Shakill has been in the taxi business for 14 years, and the hybrid diesel car he drives has been with him for four years. He was aware that Cardiff council offered grants to drivers to upgrade their electric vehicles, but he did not apply because he had no intention of replacing his vehicle.
“I can’t afford a new car. I think they only give around £5,000, but a new one costs about £40,000”, said Shakill. Government subsidies are far from enough to replace a new car.
To address climate change, Cardiff City Council has launched the One Planet Cardiff strategy, which sets out a series of ambitious action plans. In terms of green travel, the government provides financial subsidies to taxi drivers to encourage them to upgrade to cleaner vehicles.
Cardiff’sHackney Carriage fleet consists of older diesel models that do not meet the latest emission standards, meaning much of that mileage has a negative impact on the planet, and local air quality.
To solve the problem, the scheme provided more than £200,000 in grants. Ranging from £5,000 – £10,000 per vehicle, the grants support drivers to purchase more modern and fuel-efficient vehicles as well as fully electric vehicles.
Although not all drivers think the money will really solve the problem, some drivers are positive about the government subsidies. One long-time driver said he was positive about the subsidies but skeptical about their effectiveness.
“If you buy a £20,000 car, you can get half of money back. It’s better than nothing!” said Dahir, a driver in Cardiff with 30 years’ experience. He says despite getting the £10,000 grant, cost is still a big issue.
Even with these subsidies, many of the practical problems of taxis have not been solved. Cardiff’s taxi industry is struggling. According to Shakill, there are fewer passengers and income is down, replacing electric vehicles is not a priority for him.
“The Cardiff Council wants to give money to buy new cars, but there is not enough work for us. I’ve been sitting here for two hours and maybe got only six or seven fares,” said Shakill.
Cardiff’s taxi industry is facing stiff competition from drivers coming from other cities and survival is becoming increasingly difficult, according to Shakill. Even with government subsidies, many drivers are reluctant to take on the financial pressure of replacing their vehicles.
The influx of drivers from around the city has made it harder for local drivers in Cardiff to get enough orders, let alone invest in upgrades. “The problem is cross-border drivers. People from Newport and the Valleys come here to work, but we can’t go there. They’ve opened the door for them, so the trade is flooded,” said Shakill.
In addition, the rise of online car-hailing services represented by Uber has further impacted on the traditional taxi market. They occupy a large part of the market due to their convenience and far lower prices than standard taxis.
“Unless you work for Uber. Uber drops fares so low that it’s hard for us to compete”, said Shakill. According to data from Taxi How Much, if a 20% tip is added to standard cab fares, Uber becomes an even more attractive option, often undercutting the prices of regular taxis.
For those drivers willing to switch to electric vehicles, Cardiff’s inadequate EV charging infrastructure is a new challenge. According to figures released by Cardiff Council, Cardiff had 200 public charging points as of October 2024.
Many charging stations are in residential neighborhoods, corporate parks or private parking lots, limiting the availability of public charging. “People who drive electric cars need to have a charger at home or go to find a charging station,” said Shakill.
To address these issues, Cllr Dan De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport, acknowledged the challenges posed by limited public charging facilities and highlighted the efforts being made by the municipality to expand the infrastructure.
“There will be a need for us to ensure that charging facilities are available in areas with little off-street parking – starting with the roll out of another 100 charging points over the next two years,” said Cllr Dan De’Ath.
According to Cardiff Council’s electric Vehicle Infrastructure Roadmap, to create a convenient electric vehicle market, the charging infrastructure should be adapted to the different environments of the city, with charging points on pavements, pedestal chargers and streets.
“I know the council want to clean up the city and make the drivers buy new cars, they should change the system,” said Shakill.