Uber Launches First Electric Car Fleet in Madrid
Ride-hailing service Uber Technologies launched in Madrid on Thursday its first fleet of electric cars. In Spain's capital city, as elsewhere, Uber's service of matching private car owners with passengers has prompted anger among the heavily-regulated taxi sector.
The company hopes the introduction of cleaner cars will help improve its image in a city governed by left-wing, environmentally mayor Manuela Carmena, said Carles Lloret, managing director of Uber for southern Europe.
Madrid's city administration in November unveiled new measures at combating pollution, from limiting private traffic in the centre to tightening speed limits on access roads. "We want to do things that are in line with what the town hall wants," Lloret said.
Regulation and hostility from local taxi firms...