A Wiener Stadtwerke project is bringing hundreds of eTaxis to Vienna’s streets from March 2016. waff and AMS are assisting with the search for taxi drivers. Wiener Stadtwerke’s eTaxi project has won an Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (bmvit) tender and is one of the world’s largest e-taxi projects. In two years’ time, a total of 250 eTaxis will be on Vienna’s roads. This represents almost double the electric cars registered in Vienna and around five percent of all Vienna’s taxis. Vienna’s taxi companies are being offered numerous incentives to convert their taxis to 100% electric power. There is Austrian Ministry funding of EUR 8,000 per vehicle to purchase an electric car. Wien Energie is providing ten rapid charging stations throughout the city and offering eTaxi drivers free electricity for their first year of operation. And last but not least, the Vienna Employment Promotion Fund (waff) is specifically supporting the project with training and job guarantees. There are already around 50 eTaxi drivers. Another 200 are still being sought.
