Taking a ride in a hybrid taxi in New York may cost you extra these days, but it’s worth it for helping the environment.
The idea to raise the price of cab fares for hybrid taxis was a part of the Bloomberg administration as a way to entice taxi owners to make the switch. Some cab owners did not want to trade in their old gas-guzzling cabs because of the cost of new hybrids, but the permission to charge customers more may do the trick.
The new rules for these hybrid taxis will take effect on May 1. In addition to allowing hybrid taxi owners to charge more, the new rules also penalize the ones who lease less efficient cabs by making them charge less.
“Taxi fleet owners will have more reason to purchase cleaner vehicles,” said Mr. Bloomberg following the vote to pass the new laws. “The result will be more clean taxis on city streets.” As for the extra cost, it seems like a small price to pay to be a better steward with the environment.
Currently, about 2,000 of the 13,200 cabs in New York are hybrids and many of them are Toyota hybrids.
