The bike - hailing scheme is to impose a levy of 15p ( $ 0.19 ) per hour on trips in London to raise a fund that will give drivers up to £ 4,500 to upgrade to an electric vehicle . The “ clean air ” scheme , the first of its kind for the company , will come into effect early next year . Uber is also considering offering electric bike hire in the future . The firm estimates that the levy will raise £ ##500 m over several years , enabling nearly 50 % of its drivers to use zero - emission cars by 2021 . The entire fleet could be converted to electric cars by 2020 .
The ride-hailing company is to impose a levy of 15p ($0.19) per mile on trips in London to establish a fund that will give drivers up to £4,500 to upgrade to an electric vehicle. The “clean air” levy, the first of its kind for the company, will come into effect early next year. Uber is also considering offering electric bike hire in the city. The firm estimates that the levy will raise £200m over several years, enabling nearly 50% of its drivers to use zero-emission cars by 2021. The entire fleet could be converted to electric cars by 2025.