Ride-hailing app Kapten unveils London-first electric fleet
Ride-hailing app Kapten has launched a fully electric fleet of vehicles, marking a London-first.
Kapten launched its “electric class” fleet today, making it the first ride-hailing app in London to have an electric option on its app.
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It consists of 1,100 battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles that produce zero carbon emissions.
The app said choosing the electric fleet will not be any more expensive than its conventional option.
Kapten’s London general manager Mariusz Zabrocki said the company wanted to do its bit in reducing air pollution in the capital.
“Londoners expect ride-hailing companies to address the air quality issue right where they live and not just sugar-coat their actions with carbon offsetting that doesn’t tackle the problem.
“We’ve responded to this by introducing the electric class.”
Kapten launched in London in May in a bid to challenge Uber’s supremacy over the industry.
It has quickly jumped to the second-most used ride-hailing app in the capital on the back of a flurry of advertising and an offer of cheaper pricing.
Kapten chief executive Sebastien Oebel told Morning Wire last month that the company wanted to promote itself as caring about social justice and the environment.
“We want to be a valuable partner to society and we believe our customers want to get the opportunity to support a company that believes in this,” Oebel said.
“The generation that is in their late teens, and early twenties, are in particular much more concerned about this factor than generations before.”
Read more: Uber launches new safety measures in a bid to extend its London licence
Kapten was awarded a long-term licence by Transport for London (TfL) to operate in the capital, unlike its main competitor Uber.
The Silicon Valley tech giant’s licence runs out next week, after it was granted just a two-month extension due to concerns about customer safety.