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Boston and Other Cities Debate Hybrid Taxis

greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com — As more cities introduce requirements that hybrids be included in their taxi fleets, some cab companies and cab owners are balking at the price tag.

Who dugg this? Made popular Apr 2, 2009

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  • cmallinson, on 04/02/2009, -0/+13Numerous taxi drivers in Vancouver are switching to the Prius. I talked to a driver a few years ago about it, and he said it was a no-brainer. He said he saved over $1000 per month on gas over his old car. I think it's harder for the airport taxis, since they need more trunk space, but for downtown driving, they are pretty much perfect for the job.
  • pintomp3, on 04/02/2009, -0/+12As often as they have to stop and go in urban settings, it only makes sense.
  • dropoutfilms, on 04/02/2009, -3/+10Dear Taxi Companies,

    Tough *****.

    Sincerely,

    World
  • Bilbobaggins, on 04/02/2009, -1/+7I would balk too with those ridiculous prices!
  • graemee, on 04/01/2009, -2/+7Mandate it then. Where I live the City mandated a licensed cab must not be more than X ( forget the amount but it's not more than 10 years) years old along with no smoking and only one pickup per trip, no double fares. In return they did not implement meters which the smaller cab companies did not want.
  • moeriscus, on 04/02/2009, -0/+5If those bastards can charge me $40 for the 15 minute trip from Medford to Logan, I don't see how they are unable to afford this plan.
  • Suricou, on 04/02/2009, -0/+3That isn't what hblask said.
  • inactive, on 04/02/2009, -1/+4When cabs go electric they will have to come with vomit bags from the instant torque
  • TheUngod, on 04/02/2009, -0/+3I'd rather see Bostons public transit run later instead. Then taxis wouldn't be used so often anyway. The city doesn't go to sleep at 12:30, so they're either asking us to take crappy taxis, or drive drunk. Thanks Boston.
  • TrancePhreak, on 04/02/2009, -0/+3Wouldn't double fares help with this? I mean... it's just carpooling.
  • dagwood, on 04/02/2009, -0/+3Hybrid taxis are for eco pansies. Real men ride rickshaws.
  • MindStalker, on 04/02/2009, -0/+3Generally no double fares means charging for a single fare even if there are multiple people. But why "only one pickup per trip" Thats just stupid. Or is your explanation just horrible?
  • Afrochu, on 04/02/2009, -0/+3I've gotta say, it impressed the hell out of me stepping out from the Vancouver airport and getting into one of the hybrid taxis for the first time. It really speaks a lot about the city for tourists.
  • funkboy27, on 04/02/2009, -0/+2In the Vancouver area, there have been quite a few Prius' around as cabs. Although, I beleive alot of them are owned by the cab drivers themselves so they are thinking about fuel efficiency. not about being green.

    And yes, we do get ripped off here too. It's about 5 mins by car to the local mall for me... but yet it costs 15 freakin dollars by cab?? insane!
  • MacParrot, on 04/02/2009, -0/+2How many Corvette taxicabs have you ever seen?
  • inactive, on 04/02/2009, -1/+3Taxis here are E-class benz's, so in comparison a Prius would be cheaper.
  • SuperCujo, on 04/02/2009, -0/+2In Cairns in Australia, there is a cab company that runs a fleet of Priuses and one has logged over 550,000 km. At present, this company owns the only two Priuses in Australia that Toyota know that have had a battery replacement. They were done at 500,000 km in one car and 350,000 km in another.
  • SuperCujo, on 04/02/2009, -0/+2Would a Ford Fusion Hybrid offer more boot space?
  • inactive, on 04/02/2009, -0/+2Prius taxis pay for themselves in around two years. That's good.
  • Piha, on 04/02/2009, -0/+2Same here in New Zealand (Auckland) There is plenty of latest generation Prius used for taxi services, infact that's all some of the fleets use. Some of them use it as a selling point raving about their green credentials AND they are actually cheaper than most other companies anyway! There are no subsidies for them either, NZ does not have an emissions based vehicle tax/subsidy etc... So they are doing it purely on what makes business sense and free market forces.

    Afterall if you can get 100km out of 4 to 6 litres of petrol for city consumption it just seems logical, even if the vehicle costs 10-20k more initially.
  • Suricou, on 04/02/2009, -0/+2The initial investment. With the state of the economy right now, the taxi companies say they can't afford the initial cost of the vehicles. There isn't much point in saving money over a ten-year period if the up-front cost bankrupts the company in just one year.
  • Opiate, on 04/02/2009, -0/+2Great idea, let's tank them even more. Why doesn't the government run all business?
  • Suricou, on 04/02/2009, -0/+2The price structure is a fixed initial cost, plus a cost per-mile or per-minute (whichever is greater). That fixed initial cost makes taxis prohibitively expensive for very short journeys.
  • Suricou, on 04/02/2009, -0/+2At a guess, it's not hybrids specifically, but a general prohibition on buying used vehicles. Probably some sort of safety thing.
  • MindStalker, on 04/02/2009, -1/+3Read the F article, they generally buy Hybrids anyways, all this article is saying is they don't like to be legally required to buy one. For most taxi's they make sense, but lets say I just bought a non Hybrid fairly recently that I'm still making payments on, and/or I am a part-time taxi running independently (this not clocking enough miles to make the Hybrid choice an obvious one) I don't want to be forced to make a purchase that I don't need. Taxis are buying Hybrids, its just makes sense, but not always for everyone, and mandating something that makes sense is silly.
  • MacParrot, on 04/02/2009, -0/+2Instead of forcing taxi companies to buy cars that won't always suit their needs (a Prius isn't going to haul 2 people and typical luggage on an airport run), why not have GM or Chrysler use some of that bailout money to create a new class of vehicle for taxi and limo fleets? It probably wouldn't be as fuel efficient as a Prius, but could be designed to hold 2-4 people and with some clever use of space design have fold out areas to accomodate either people or cargo. Being designed strictly for fleet sales means they could do away with some of the fancier stuff for typical cars but include things like SatNav. Have easy to clean seats (don't need leather or cloth for a people mover designed for short hauls) and bare floors. Have only 3 color options (red/green/yellow) to keep production line costs down.

    If we could increase typical gas mileage for taxis to say the high 20s/low 30s that would be a significant difference.
  • MacParrot, on 04/02/2009, -1/+2Wouldn't it be greener to walk to the mall? I understand that depending on what purchases you might make you would take a taxi for the return leg, but why complain when you know it's going to cost that much? Walking is better for you anyway.
  • Suricou, on 04/02/2009, -0/+1Very strange. No idiots have responded to you, and your post was nine hours ago. The silence is disconcerting.

    Easily fixed. "COMMUNIST! GOVERNMENT CAN'T RUN ANYTHING, LET THE FREE MARKET PROVIDE TRANSPRTATION!" There, the balance of the universe is restored.
  • quato, on 04/03/2009, -0/+1I think all city's should have hybrid cash cabs. I would totally go for the video bonus question.
  • MacParrot, on 04/02/2009, -0/+1Many airports are now also charging cab companies for each trip out with a passenger. There are costs that you don't see that they still have to make up for.
  • funkboy27, on 04/03/2009, -0/+1Actually, I have a car and rarely take a cab.. was just complaining cause my daughter had to take one the other day from the mall to home.

    And the walk TO the mall wouldn't be so bad. the walk back on the other hand.. UP the ***** mountain would suck ass. GREEN or not, I'm sure your ass wouldn't walk up here either :P
  • Suricou, on 04/02/2009, -0/+1A big investment in the short term. But aside from the potential long-term savings (I don't know the math to work out just how long the payback period is, it depends on unpredictable future gas prices), this will also mean a much more predictable level of expense in future: The more efficient the car, the less any future gas price spikes will affect the taxi business.

    This would be even better if hybrids were even more efficient... compared to european standards, American car designs are just starting to get the hang of thinking about efficiency.
  • graemee, on 04/02/2009, -1/+2Here taxis would pick you up, and then go and pick someone else close by going to a destination close to yours. Two fares in one cab. My explanation may indeed not have been good. The cabby gets two (double) fares on one trip and saves fuel, but costs you some time and the possibility of riding with some douche with BO. They stopped this, you can argue the fuel saving/car pooling side of the story, after some elderly lady got beat up and robbed by the other fare for safety reasons. One pickup = One fare per trip.
  • MacParrot, on 04/02/2009, -0/+1What are you talking about? I'm talking about GM or Chrysler designing a vehicle for fleet sales. Use some of the bailout money they have to try to increase sales. Low-cost fleet sales could boost jobs which is what the whole point of the bailout is suposed to be for. There once was a whole company in the US (Checker) who thrived on this until GM/Ford/Chrysler started their own large-scale fleet sales using existing sedans (which weren't as fuel efficient or specifically designed to do the job).

    Innovate not stagnate
  • randomjames, on 04/02/2009, -0/+1Yeah those Prius taxis are all over Vancouver. The drivers really like them, although the last time I was in a cab I asked the driver and he told me all the digital displays are kinda distracting...
  • inactive, on 04/02/2009, -0/+1How many Corvettes have made you vomit?
  • robsonde, on 04/02/2009, -2/+3we have had Prius taxi's in New Zealand for a few years....
    what's the problem??

    we even have a company that only run Prius (green cabs)

  • SuperCujo, on 04/02/2009, -1/+1Do Corvette's come with vomit bags?
  • kihadat, on 04/02/2009, -2/+2Get off your magic internet portal, then, if you believe science is just hocus-pocus.
  • Suricou, on 04/02/2009, -2/+2I understand. When you have no rational counterargument, it's just so much easier to claim your opponent is a neo-hippy cultist.
  • Opiate, on 04/02/2009, -2/+2Government forcing it's will on the market, usually crushing the little guy, which goes against everything this country was founded on. Rational enough? oh wait liberty is out.. my bad...
  • plastic411com, on 04/02/2009, -0/+0I agree... taxi cost is ludicrous...
  • bsennett, on 04/08/2009, -0/+0I pitched this idea to my sustainability class a year ago. Good to see something's being done about it.
  • TheUngod, on 04/02/2009, -3/+2Good thing I don't take taxis. The fare will likely skyrocket if hybrids are required.
  • inactive, on 04/02/2009, -2/+1why would htey not allow them to buy used hybrids?
  • inactive, on 04/02/2009, -9/+7what happened to separation of church and state. the religion of green is worse than scientology or christianity
  • hblask, on 04/01/2009, -13/+6Dammit taxi owners, how dare you argue with religion?

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