Hybrid cab incentives adopted in New York City
If passed, each of the city's 13,000 plus cabs would have been, at minimum, twice as fuel efficient by the end of three years' time.
Because every taxi cab must be replaced every three years by regulation, each vehicle would have been swapped at the appropriate time for a hybrid.
A statement given by the mayor ensured citizens that "greening the taxi fleet is a major priority," and that a plan was in the works "to develop a program with strong incentives for the use of fuel-efficient vehicles and heavy disincentives for the use of inefficient vehicles."
On Friday, November 14th, details of this program began to surface.
It will target fleet owners, who charge drivers a fee to use their vehicles while the drivers pay for the gas, offering little incentive to replace their vehicles with fuel-efficient models.
Typical fees range from $105 to $129 for a 12-hour shift, and under the new arrangement, these companies will be allowed to charge drivers $3 more per shift for leasing a hybrid vehicle.
Fleet owners would generate an additional $2,000 per vehicle per year, while drivers, although paying higher fees, would save roughly $5,000 per year, or $15 per shift, simply because of the decreased fuel cost as a result of higher fuel efficiency.
The city also has plans to lower the amount each company will be allowed to charge a driver leasing a less fuel-efficient vehicle, offering further incentive to convert their fleet.
This is part of a larger plan of Mayor Bloomberg's to green New York City. Other efforts include taking measures to reduce the environmental impact of the limousine industry, plant one million trees by 2017, encourage students to take the bus, and the construction of a wind farm.
Typical fees range from $105 to $129 for a 12-hour shift, and under the new arrangement, these companies will be allowed to charge drivers $3 more per shift for leasing a hybrid vehicle.
Fleet owners would generate an additional $2,000 per vehicle per year, while drivers, although paying higher fees, would save roughly $5,000 per year, or $15 per shift, simply because of the decreased fuel cost as a result of higher fuel efficiency.
The city also has plans to lower the amount each company will be allowed to charge a driver leasing a less fuel-efficient vehicle, offering further incentive to convert their fleet.
This is part of a larger plan of Mayor Bloomberg's to green New York City. Other efforts include taking measures to reduce the environmental impact of the limousine industry, plant one million trees by 2017, encourage students to take the bus, and the construction of a wind farm.
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