Leeds private hire company Arrow in a bid to be all electric by 2024
Arrow have the intention to purchase 250 of these Marque Tesla EV cars, amounting to an “unprecedented” capital investment of £10m.
The private hire firm, which at present employ a management & admin team of 100 also have a nationwide network of 750 drivers in five locations, plan to purchase its first Tesla EV in March.
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David Richmond (Pictured above) , chairman of Arrow, said: “We think it’s very important in terms of taking a lead on sustainable travel. We will be able to give corporate clients and the public a sustainable mode of travel and we’ll be able to dictate the whole model because unlike with other private hire companies we own our cars.
“For us £10m is a huge investment but we think it will revolutionise the business and will pay dividends in terms of our growth, our profile and the quality of service we offer. It will help Leeds catch up with zero emissions transport and it’s a good news story for the city.”
Richmond said the company, which has been the official private hire partner for Leeds Bradford Airport since 2008, had been determined to buy an all-electric fleet of cars ever since Leeds City Council first mooted the idea of a Leeds Clean Air Zone.
He stressed Arrow would have gone ahead with this three years ago if the council had agreed to its request to be allowed to operate its zero emissions vehicles on the city’s bus lanes. However, he added the council had said “no”.
“It should be noted that our request to use the bus lanes is not a new idea,” he said. “Many councils across the country allow private hire vehicles to use the bus lane.
Leeds City Council responded: “The council’s position is that bus lanes should be kept clear for buses to run efficiently and to time. This is a key element of our target to double bus use by 2027 through investment in improved public transport infrastructure.