Hamburg draws positive interim conclusion on future taxis

A year and a half after the start of the "Future Taxi" funding project, more than 350 licensed electric taxis are already in operation as part of it. This corresponds to 13 percent of the taxi fleet in the Hanseatic city. On January 20, 2023, the Senator for Transport and Mobility Transition, Anjes Tjarks, drew this interim balance for his "success project Future Taxi".

According to a press release from his authority, the senator is particularly pleased with consistently positive feedback from drivers and their passengers. Driving an electric taxi significantly increases comfort for both sides. As the senator belongs to the "Greens," his press office noted that the project has already saved around 2,100 tons of carbon dioxide.

Since April 2021, the city has subsidized the additional costs of 300 electric taxis and 50 electric wheelchair taxis in two funding phases. It also supports the provision of at least 80 fast-charging points, which are exclusively reserved for electric taxis. They are being built on public grounds and private areas. These subsidies have already been pledged and agreed upon, according to the press release. As the previous climate protection funds have already been exhausted, the creation of a third funding phase is currently being examined at the request of the Hamburg Parliament.

The acquisition or use of electric taxis is also being subsidized on a larger scale in Berlin and Munich, in addition to Hamburg. The Hanseatic city's efforts to also promote the necessary fast-charging infrastructure, where other cities are still lagging, are unique in Germany.