GREEN travel is now fare game with the first electric taxi now operating in West Fife.

Innovative Rosyth firm Aitch Taxis's new private hire vehicle runs on a charge and requires no petrol or diesel.

Councillor Bob Young, chair of the regulation and licensing committee, said: "I’d like to congratulate Aitch Taxis for putting us on the road to a cleaner environment and hope others will follow their lead.

“Electric vehicles don’t emit any pollutants while they’re in use so they can play an important role in tackling climate change and improving local air quality."

Fife Council said it was a success for their ECO Stars scheme, which encourages taxi and private hire firms to run their vehicles in the most efficient way, reducing carbon emissions as well as their own running costs.

Each scheme member gets a 1-5 Star rating based on an assessment of how ‘clean’ their vehicle fleet is and the best practice they demonstrate.

Cllr Young said: "Cleaner air is good for everyone and 22 operators – running 111 vehicles – have joined the scheme so far, showing they’re committed to reducing air pollution in Fife.

“In Fife we’ve got an excellent network of chargers that anyone can use if households or other businesses are considering switching to an electric car.”

There are 19 charging points for electric vehicles in Fife, including three rapid chargers.

They are available for the general public to use at long stay car parks in town centres and at public transport interchanges such as railway stations.

The rapid charger in West Fife is located at Halbeath Park and Ride. The other two are in Glenrothes and St Andrews.

A map of all the locations is available at fifedirect.org.uk/travelchoices.