Red Light For Green Cabs

A federal judge ruled that Mayor Bloomberg can’t force "fuel-efficiency" rules on taxi owners. Only the feds can set standards like. So says Judge Paul Crotty. Bloomberg though disappointed by the decision doesn’t believe he’s defeated yet. He’s asked the Taxi and Limousine Commission to hype his hybrid idea and vows to lobby Congress to change the mileage standards laws. It seems that if New York’s mayor can’t hail a green cab, he’ll give hell to the yellow ones.

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Taxi Owners Driven To Federal Court

Some taxicab owners believe that the hybrids they’re being forced to buy are "unsafe" to be used as taxis. They contend that modifying the new cars for cab use make them dangerous for drivers and passengers. In fact, partitions violate the vehicle manufacturer’s own safety recommendations. By law, as of October 1st, all new taxis purchased must be hybrids. Taxi Commissioner Mathew Daus responded to the owner's lawsuit saying, “I want to send a clear and unequivocal message to the riding public that hybrid-electric taxicabs are absolutely safe." Undoubtedly, future lawsuits by vehicle accident victims will show which side was right and who was being un-fare.

Hack Hybrid Help On The Way

There’s an October 25th deadline for taxicab owners to purchase vehicles that get a minimum 25mpg. Unfortunately, there’s a shortage of hybrids. What’s a city’s taxicab industry to do? Enter GM, Ford and Nissan. They've pledged to supply a total of 300 vehicles monthly to aid owners meet the new green goals. Mayor Bloomberg said, “[They] have gone above and beyond.” Of course if automakers had been promoting hybrid vehicles years ago as they could have, we’d all be better off today.

NYPD Blue And NYFD Red Go Green

Mayor Bloomberg’s initiative to new make city vehicles more eco-friendly is driving forward. Twenty hybrid SUVs will be hitting the streets. Four all-electric Vectrix scooters are being tested as well as a three-wheeled transporter. Whatever proven cost-cutting measures New York City can employ makes sense. The city paid $103.7 million for gasoline in fiscal 2008. With gas around $4.50 per gallon, every drop in the gas bucket helps.

Green Deadline For Hybrid Taxis May Be Dead

Yellow taxi fleet owners must replace their vehicles every three years; individual owners every five years. New York City’s October 1st deadline for fleet owners to purchase hybrids is in peril. An estimated 2,500 of the city’s 13,227 taxis are scheduled for replacement this October. Unfortunately, cab owners claim there aren’t enough hybrids to go around (Reportedly only 20% are available nationwide.) and that they’re not as safe as their Crown Victorias. With hybrids, cabbies are estimated to save $5,000 a year. Cab drivers are being hit hard enough because of rising gas prices. Government officials should give taxi owners some additional time to convert their vehicles or work with the automakers to secure the needed hybrids. Common sense and compassion from any government is rare. Both may be needed more now than conservation.