NEW YORK, May 22
(Xinhua) -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Tuesday that all
city cabs will be hybrids by 2012, as part of his long-term plan for cutting
down on greenhouse gas emissions in the city.
"It happens in stages over five years, because all
the taxis have to be recycled over five years," said the mayor on NBC's "Today"
show on Tuesday morning.
"And from now, drivers will buy these. And the
drivers will do very well because it costs less to operate these, and it puts
out a lot less into the air so our kids will breathe a lot better."
Currently, there are just 375 fuel-efficient hybrid
vehicles among the 13,000 taxis rolling on city streets. That number will
increase to 1,000 by October 2008 and will grow by about 20 percent each year
until 2012, when every yellow cab will be a hybrid.
Hybrid vehicles run on a combination of gasoline and
electricity, emitting less exhaust and achieving higher gas mileage per gallon.
Some taxi drivers who already drive hybrids said they
are good for business.
"If I have to put like 30 dollars on a regular cab,
with the hybrid I would put about 10 to 15 dollars," a driver told a local TV
channel.
City officials say although hybrid taxis are more
expensive, drivers will save more than 10,000 dollars a year in fuel costs.
The hybrids have been successfully tested in the
city's taxi fleet over the past 18 months.
Six models of hybrids have been used on city streets,
namely, Toyota Highlander, Lexus RX 400H, Ford Escape, Toyota Prius, Honda
Accord and Honda Civic.
City officials said the taxis, when fully replaced,
are expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 200,000 tons per year.
The government does not own the city's yellow cabs,
but sells licenses to individual drivers and operators, who must purchase their
own vehicles that meet the specifications of the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
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