Yellow Cabs Turn Hybrid in US

The American classic, Yellow Cab will soon be turned into more fuel efficient and environmentally-friendly green cars.

EnviroCAB bills itself as the first all-hybrid taxi company in the country.

It began service last month and now operates nearly two dozen cabs -- Toyota Priuses, Camrys and Highlanders and Ford Escapes.

Hess, who is originally from Carmel, California, hopes to have 50 of the green-and-white painted taxis on the road by the end of April.

"The county regulates the fares so it's exactly the same cost as any other taxi in Arlington County," Hess said.

"We say: clean air for the same fare."

The hybrid cars do use gasoline to power the electric motor but they emit less carbon dioxide and enviroCAB is supporting clean air programs to make the company "carbon-negative."

"We will effectively emit zero carbon dioxide and we'll also remove the emissions of two additional existing cabs for every enviroCAB we put on the street through our carbon-negative offset plan," Hess said

EnviroCAB drivers said the fuel-efficient hybrids may cost more to buy but they've cut their gasoline costs in half, from around 40 dollars a day to 15 to 20 dollars a day.

Arlington may be the first city in the United States with an all-green taxi company but it won't be the last.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said he wants all of the Yellow Cabs in New York City to switch to hybrids by 2012.

Last week he extended the requirement to the city's fleet of 10,000 hired limousines, the so-called black cars.

The plan would require the black cars to meet fuel efficiency standards of 9.4 liters per 100 kilometers (25 miles per gallon) in 2009 and 7.8 liters per 100 kilometers (30 mpg) in 2010.

"Between yellow taxis and black cars, more than 23,000 Taxi and Limousine Commission-regulated cars will be required to be more efficient," Bloomberg said.

Source-AFP
SUN/L