New York's yellow cabs go hybrid

I was in New York over the weekend and impressed to see how many hybrid taxis there are now. I was picked up at La Guardia airport by Aki Uddin from Bangladesh, proudly driving a Ford Escape hybrid. He told me that the yellow cab company he works for, Woodside, has a couple of hundred hybrids. Other companies are also using them and they have become a common sight on Manhattan streets over the last six months.
Uddin said he averages about 28 miles per gallon in his hybrid, about double what the standard yellow cab (Crown Victorias) can achieve.

Since New York’s taxi fleet has approximately 13,000 cabs, the switch to hybrids is hoped will help reduce New York City’s air pollution.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he wants all New York cabs to be hybrid by 2012. He recently announced that the Taxi and Limousine Commission will also require black cars that service corporate clients to increase fuel efficiency standards to a level currently achievable only by using hybrid technology.

Click here for more The New York Times report on hybrid yellow cabs.
- David Adams