December 2021: An Update From Our CCO

Hello everyone and Season’s Greetings to you all,

Whilst 2021 wasn’t quite the year we had in mind, and the country once again (through Plan B) reintroduces additional restrictions to keep us safe, I must say it was nice to experience a few months of (what felt like) normality.

Despite some of the setbacks it has been a good year for Addison Lee. I am proud of the meaningful progress we have made in 2021. We have momentum and intend to build on it – here’s some of this year’s highlights which demonstrate how we are leading the way;

Our pledge to be fully electric by 2023

In September we pledged that our passenger car fleet will be fully electric by 2023 – at least two years ahead of anyone in our industry. We began that journey in a partnership with Volkswagen and the rollout of their ID.4 SUVs. This is the largest UK purchase of electric vehicles (EV) by a private hire provider and the start of a £160m investment. This month, less than three months since the announcement, a number of our EV’s are on the road, providing our customers with the same levels of comfort, space and quality, whilst also removing emissions from London’s streets.

We are working to develop partnerships that will support the infrastructure for EV charging for drivers, that is accessible and affordable and will also continue to lobby public and private sectors to expedite the move to fully electric transport in London.

Find out what it’s like to travel ElectricALly with Addison Lee here.

ComCab

It has been five months since we completed the acquisition of ComCab, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for us and since that time, it has been my pleasure to see colleagues come together and embrace our united purpose of quality and safety. Our ongoing integration works will be completed in Q1 2022, affording both Addison Lee and ComCab customers the benefit of a one-stop-shop for Private Hire, Black Taxi and Courier services, and ensuring that we continue to meet the growing demand for premium services in a way that no-other London ground transport provider can.

UN Women

The 25th of November marked International Day to End Violence against Women and the start of UN Women’s #16DaysOfActivism. It was also the day we announced our long-term partnership with @UNWomenUK to support their wonderful Safe Spaces Now initiative. Our partnership was launched with a fundraiser which saw Addison Lee donate £1 for every booking completed over the 16 days.

Our support for this cause does not stop there though and together with UN Women, we are co-designing a safety training programme for PHV and Black Taxi drivers (and our own employees) that will equip them with the tools to better support an individual whose safety is of concern to them. This important training programme will be rolled out in 2022 but for more information, you can visit our blog here.

We will continue to demonstrate ethical and admirable corporate values as we face the challenges and impacts of the pandemic and move into 2022 and onwards. Our teams supported customers with return-to-office planning using our position as an important part of London’s transport network to provide insight and expertise to many.

There has been a vast amount more activity across our business this year; from new product launches to B2B events and engagement with third parties. We post all business updates on our Blog pages – click here to find out more.

As the festive season swiftly comes upon us, our cornerstone remains deep-seated and steadfast, so as we move into Plan B, trust in us to continue delivering services protected by our safer journey initiative, for those essential journeys and deliveries.

It has been a pleasure working with you this year and we look forward to another year of collaboration and partnership. Thinking warmly of each of you and wish you and your loved ones an extra measure of comfort, joy and hope this festive season.

Wesley Bishop

CCO

Addison Lee

Wesley.Bishop@addisonlee.com