Taxis That Clean the Air They Drive Through

Clean Air Day’s headline figure suggested up to 36,000 deaths each year, in the UK, are caused by air pollution.

Winn Solicitors was one of the companies involved in highlighting the importance of clean air by promoting a greener commute to staff.

This backdrop of increased awareness has seen a number of ventures to promote our air quality, including a unique approach to taxi travel.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) sets maximum limits for air pollution. These limits look at daily and annual averages. Almost 2,000 locations in the UK are above these limits and there are places in the UK where the air pollution is three times as high as the WHO limits.

Clean Air Day website

Barclays has teamed up with Airlabs to create taxis which actually clean the air they drive through, improving the environment for those within the vehicle.

Ten cabs on London’s streets have been fitted with nano-carbon technology that removes up to 95% of nitrogen dioxide from air inside the vehicle, according to Think Tank.

This may be something of a publicity stunt to draw attention to the air pollution problem in the capital, but the problem spans across the country, with Birmingham’s air pollution allegedly shortening the lives of children by half a year, according to a story in the Guardian.

Damian Hinds, the Education Secretary, has called for more to be done around the school gates. He said: “Plenty of people will let a car idle unnecessarily while waiting for someone or something. It won’t make the time pass any quicker if you turn your engine off, but it will make a huge difference to the air quality.”

Clearly a hot topic, here’s a few ways you can lessen your carbon footprint:

• Leave the car – If you don’t need to take the car, leave it behind. Walking is the cleanest method of transport.
• Turn your engine off when waiting – If you don’t need your engine on, for example when waiting for someone, then don’t have it running.
• Go Electric! – A more extreme attack on your carbon footprint would be to get rid of your petrol or diesel car and purchase an electric version.

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