A new app has launched to provide access to a fleet of exclusively electric black taxis in London – said to be a first for the capital.

The Sherbet RIDE app is available to download now

Available to download from today, the Sherbet RIDE app will enable users to book rides from a fleet of 150 vehicles, including LEVC TX electric taxis.

As well as zero-emission running, the service is founded on the premises of stringent driver training and incentivisation and the innovative use of technology to maximise passenger experience minimise environmental impact.

The business, which runs its Knowledge School in Dalston, said it wants its drivers to be “among London’s best”. All drivers will have to sign up the Sherbet charter – meaning they undertake compulsory first aid training and are given preparatory training in the event they are the first responder on the scene of a major incident, such as a terrorist attack.

The service is the brainchild of Asher Moses, a black taxi industry stalwart and badge-carrying cabbie with over 30 years’ experience on London’s roads. He believes that by pre-empting the introduction of the ULEZ, Sherbet and the London black taxi industry can “reclaim the prized Zone 1 battleground in the face of competition from the likes of Uber and Hailo”.

He commented: “The London black taxi industry has been under siege for a couple of years and I hope today marks the beginning in bringing back the glory days for our trade. No ride-sharing app can compete with customer service offered by a London black taxi, but technology has fractured the market. The introduction of the ULEZ means that the entire industry has to modernise and we hope the launch of Sherbet RIDE will allow black taxi drivers to steal a march on the competition.”

To download the Sherbet RIDE app, click here.