Cabs Go Cool… and Green

05/8/08  Print This Post Print This Post    10 Comments   Popular   Written by Julie Schwietert
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If you’ve been to New York City lately and wondered why the Crown Vic cabs of old seem to be disappearing, replaced by a fleet of Toyota Highlanders and Priuses and even Lexus RX 400hs, the reason is simple: NYC doesn’t just want to pimp your ride, it wants you to ride green.

According to a recent article in The New York Times , “all of New York’s…taxis will have to get at least 30 miles a gallon…” by 2012. At present, just 7.8% of cabs meet that target, but a glance at the city’s streets confirms the fleet is changing quickly.

Incredibly, almost everyone is happy with the new law: drivers say gas costs about $25 less per day; the Taxi and Limousine Commission says the hybrids are performing better on inspections than non-hybrids; and passengers are happy they can ride green.

Talk to us! Tell us about the taxis in your favorite town!

Photo: k.kopach


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About the Author

Matador ID: collazo

Julie Schwietert is the managing editor of Matador Network. She contributed a chapter to the recently published book, The Voluntary Traveler, and is currently working on five features for Fodor's Puerto Rico, 6th Edition.

10 Comments... join the discussion!

  • ian replied on May 8, 2008

    The first time I rode in a hybrid taxi, I couldn't even believe it was running – so quiet! It's great to see big cities adopting these green changes, but isn't a surprise, considering NYC is already a beacon of green living (by necessity). Take that LA!

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  • ian replied on May 8, 2008

    The first time I rode in a hybrid taxi, I couldn’t even believe it was running – so quiet! It’s great to see big cities adopting these green changes, but isn’t a surprise, considering NYC is already a beacon of green living (by necessity). Take that LA!

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  • Julie replied on May 15, 2008

    I rented a hybrid recently and after about 10 minutes spent trying to figure out how to turn the car on (it's keyless), I realized it WAS on… you're right; it's quiet.

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  • Julie replied on May 15, 2008

    I rented a hybrid recently and after about 10 minutes spent trying to figure out how to turn the car on (it’s keyless), I realized it WAS on… you’re right; it’s quiet.

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  • Tim Patterson replied on May 15, 2008

    Wow. That's awesome guys. Although I still think that the most important thing we can do is to learn to live without cars, not develop new ones that run on alternative fuels – there is no such thing as an environmentally friendly car and probably never will be.

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  • Tim Patterson replied on May 16, 2008

    Wow. That’s awesome guys. Although I still think that the most important thing we can do is to learn to live without cars, not develop new ones that run on alternative fuels – there is no such thing as an environmentally friendly car and probably never will be.

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  • Eva replied on May 16, 2008

    I'm all about reducing our dependence on cars – no one in my immediate family even owned one from around 1990 to 1997 or so, which is nice, although I can't say I enjoyed walking a few kms to hockey practice with all my gear – but like the planes, Tim, I can't see getting rid of them entirely.

    For one thing, we're always going to need ambulances, school buses, fire trucks and police vehicles – which means we're always going to need reasonably well-maintained roads for them to travel along. (Which means we're always going to need dump trucks, cement mixers, construction vehicles…) And even in the cities that are most well-served by public transit, taxis are a huge part of the equation.

    Urban areas can (and should) go a long way to reducing car culture, but the simple fact is that in the country, cars are a lifeline. And how about tractors and other engine-powered large-scale farming equipment?

    Finding ways to make engines burn cleaner and do less damage seems like just about the only way forward to me – doing away with the internal combustion engine entirely gives me visions of women dying in childbirth in their homes and near-slaves working in the fields, because low-cost labor is the only way to turn a profit on a manually-harvested crop. Unless I am missing something huge here?

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  • Eva replied on May 16, 2008

    I’m all about reducing our dependence on cars – no one in my immediate family even owned one from around 1990 to 1997 or so, which is nice, although I can’t say I enjoyed walking a few kms to hockey practice with all my gear – but like the planes, Tim, I can’t see getting rid of them entirely.

    For one thing, we’re always going to need ambulances, school buses, fire trucks and police vehicles – which means we’re always going to need reasonably well-maintained roads for them to travel along. (Which means we’re always going to need dump trucks, cement mixers, construction vehicles…) And even in the cities that are most well-served by public transit, taxis are a huge part of the equation.

    Urban areas can (and should) go a long way to reducing car culture, but the simple fact is that in the country, cars are a lifeline. And how about tractors and other engine-powered large-scale farming equipment?

    Finding ways to make engines burn cleaner and do less damage seems like just about the only way forward to me – doing away with the internal combustion engine entirely gives me visions of women dying in childbirth in their homes and near-slaves working in the fields, because low-cost labor is the only way to turn a profit on a manually-harvested crop. Unless I am missing something huge here?

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  • Elizabeth replied on May 20, 2008

    I recently saw a green cab in DC! Hopefully there will be more in coming months.

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  • Elizabeth replied on May 20, 2008

    I recently saw a green cab in DC! Hopefully there will be more in coming months.

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