13cabs lead the EV charge in push for sustainable transport

Australia’s largest taxi network is giving commuters a special offer in a bid to promote green transport.

Australia’s largest taxi network is offering passengers free taxi rides in their electric fleet as part of a push for more EV charging stations.

Taxi company 13cabs hopes to transition to operating a fully electric and low-emission fleet within a decade, but says it is being hampered by a lack of charging stations.

“We are rapidly expanding our EV fleet with models like Tesla, BYD and MG,” 13cabs Chief Operating Officer Olivia Barry said.

“But the transition is slowed without sufficient charging points, particularly in urban areas and near taxi ranks.”

13cabs chief operating officer Olivia Barry says that accessible EV charging networks are key to uptake. Picture: Supplied/Marcel Aucar.

Passengers in the Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne CBDs will be able to hail a free ride in a 13cabs electric taxi on Tuesday November 26, between 8am and 6pm, with fares capped at $60.

The company’s fleet of taxis will switch from regular orange decals to bright green.

13cabs, which currently has 37 fully battery-powered EVs in addition to more than 60 per cent of its national fleet running on low-emission hybrid technology, is hoping the move accelerates investment in developing a charging network across major Australian cities.

“We are lagging in infrastructure in terms of charging facilities, particularly in fast charging and non-residential charging,” 13cabs head of corporate affairs David Samuel said.

“A lot of our drivers live in units and apartment blocks, that makes it difficult to charge these vehicles so they rely on public charging to charge them,”

As well as calling for more public charging stations, 13cabs is installing JOLT EV charing stations at all its depot locations across the country, and working with councils to place EV chargers at taxi ranks.

The initiative comes as energy giant AGL this week began offering free charging for EV owners by rolling out the first 39 of their 149 pole-mounted EV chargers in Sydney’s inner west.

More extensive charging networks are key to support electric taxi drivers like Melbourne’s Jatin Parbhakar. Picture: Supplied

Despite University of NSW research finding a 27.2 per cent year-on-year decline of battery electric vehicle sales in 2024, Mr Samuel said he is confident there will be a rebound in the market.

So much so, that 13cabs are looking even further into the future by exploring the autonomous EV space, with Ms Barry currently in China looking at autonomous electric taxis.

“We certainly see it as part of the future,” Mr Samuel said.

“It would be a long transition period obviously and there would need to be all sorts of legislative changes to implement it, but it is certainly an exciting opportunity to reduce costs and provide a clean service and a service that customers want.

“The transportation sector has traditionally generated high carbon emissions to run cars, trucks, ships, trains and planes,” Mr Samuel said.

“We want to continue to do our part to reduce the transport sector’s impact on the environment.”