Seattle mayor Greg Nickels wants taxis in his town to switch to hybrid technology. As with most taxi cab owners (i.e. the ones who purchase the cars), the idea isn't very popular.
Despite some incentives to do so, Boston taxi cabs aren't running to make the switch. New York taxi cab owners are being told to do so, and several other cities are seeing a slow switchover.
Seattle is going to have to face the same situation. When it costs anywhere from $20 to $30K to buy and outfit a hybrid car for taxi service, but it only costs $10K to buy and outfit a Crown Victoria, you need to give the owners a reason to do it.
The drivers, on the other hand, love hybrid taxicabs. They pay a lot less on gas and maintenance. Their riders enjoy the ride more. The cars themselves are proving to be very stable.
Mayor Nickels thinks that owners could save $10,000 in gas over the life of the cab. "We're not saying that it has to be a Prius," he said. "We're are saying that it has to have at least 30 miles per gallon to reduce the impact on greenhouse gas emissions."
He is not offering any other incentives to help the owners make the switch. The City Council will need to rule on the mayor's proposal.
Source: Nickels calls for switch to hybrid cabs | KOMO-TV - Seattle, Washington | News
Friday, March 14, 2008
Seattle Taxis May Go Hybrid
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