Western Romania city wants more electric cabs

The city of Reșița, in western Romania’s Banat region, plans to have half of its taxi fleet made up of electric or hybrid cars by 2025, Stirileprotv.ro reported.

The City Hall offers several facilities to cab drivers who opt for an electric car. They can charge their car for free for two years from the municipality’s stations. There are currently two stations but five more are to open by year end. At the same time, drivers receive consultancy on how to purchase electric cars.

“They were advised to access StartUp funds, meaning two people can partner to buy two electric cars and after the [project’s] implementation period the car is theirs and they can practice individually,” Adelin Tuță, investment and urban mobility director with the Reşita City Hall, told Stirileprotv.ro.

Cab drivers have welcomed the measure and say that clients are attracted to the eco-friendly option.

“It’s a plus that clients prefer it […] and the maintenance costs are almost zero. I’ve had it for a year and did not change anything to it,” Olivian Chincea, the owner of an electric cab, explained.

There are currently 240 licensed taxis in Reşita. Many of the cars are old and companies are looking to purchase new, electric vehicles.

Elsewhere in the country, one cab company in Arad, also in western Romania, has 28 electric cars in its fleet of 214 vehicles. The company made use of subsidies offered through the cash-for-bangers Rabla program, and also benefits from free charging.

Last week, the City Hall of Cluj-Napoca, also in western Romania, announced it was granting new taxi licenses only for electric cars, in a move to encourage environmentally friendly public transport.

Earlier this year, Suceava, in north-eastern Romania, decided that half of the city’s taxi licenses should be granted to electric cars. Suceava already uses 11 electric cars and 10 e-bikes for the Local Police.

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