New York City taxi officials have unanimously voted to move forward with a plan to make their city’s taxis the “cleanest, greenest large city taxicab fleet in the world” in the words of Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Matthew Daus. Under the new regulation, first announced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg last spring, all new taxis put into the fleet beginning October 1, 2008 must be able to achieve 25 miles per gallon in city driving according to Environmental Protection Agency standards. One year later, all new cabs must be capable of 30 mpg. An exception will be made for handicap-accessible cabs.

Since Mayor Bloomberg’s announcement, timed to coincide with Earth Day on April 22, taxi operators in the city have begun adding electric-hybrid taxis to their fleets, and, at 627, it is now the largest hybrid fleet in the United States. Most hybrid taxis are Ford Escape SUVs. Expect that number to grow and to see fewer and fewer of the ubiquitous Ford Crown Victoria cabs prowling the streets of New York.

According to the TLC, in addition to environmental benefits, the new regulation will save as much as $140 million in fuel costs annually once fully phased in. That’ll be a bonus for fleet owners, who are reportedly already seeing a pass rate of 85 percent for hybrids during the three annual safety and emissions inspections required by the TLC. Crown Vics have a 54 percent pass rate.

Still, don’t count on a city full of Escapes. A TLC representative said discussions are underway with other potential suitors, and 2010 is still a couple of years away. No word yet if the Escapes will also have all those groovy air fresheners, either…

—Jim Travers

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