St Austell-based C&C Taxis – the first cab operator in the county to employ a pure electric vehicle – added the first LEAF to its 10-strong fleet almost exactly 12 months ago.

The firm now runs five LEAFS and reports soaring bookings and falling fuel costs – the company says it’s slashed in excess of £40,000 off its annual fuel bill thanks to the LEAF’s running costs of around two pence per mile.

C&C Taxis owner, Michelle Williams, said: ‘When we took our first LEAF a year ago we could never have imagined how successful it would have been. The fact we now have five and have hit the 150,000-mile mark says it all.

‘Investing in the LEAF has probably been the best decision we’ve ever made as a company.

‘Our customers love them and most of the big hotels in the area now use us as their taxi company of choice, which has been a real coup. In fact, many of the hotels now ask guests who book a taxi whether they’d like an electric one and then specifically ask for a LEAF.

‘The LEAF has been truly transformational for our business.’