NYC to add more hybrid taxis to streets
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NYC to add more hybrid taxis to streets
The city soon will have more cabs running on alternative fuel. The number of hybrid-electric taxis and taxis powered by compressed natural gas is increasing more than tenfold to 281 after the city's first major auction for permits to operate them. The Taxi and Limousine Commission wasn't sure if cab drivers would embrace the new technology, so it opened the bidding at discounted prices as an incentive.
The concern proved meritless. When the sealed bids were opened Thursday, some buyers had offered record prices. One paid $554,147, the highest sum ever spent for the privilege of operating a hybrid or natural-gas cab in New York. The minimum bid set by the commission was $320,000.
The concern proved meritless. When the sealed bids were opened Thursday, some buyers had offered record prices. One paid $554,147, the highest sum ever spent for the privilege of operating a hybrid or natural-gas cab in New York. The minimum bid set by the commission was $320,000.
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Re: NYC to add more hybrid taxis to streets
When I was at Chicago O'Hare, one of their security vehicles was an FEH. Impressive. I wish more cities would do what NYC and Chicago is doing.
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Re: NYC to add more hybrid taxis to streets
Although I don't exactly get the bidding part of the cab licensing described here, I'm excited to hear that there's interest in operating hybrids as taxis. We need more hybrids on the roads, and mass transit, particularly mass transit on the passenger car level, is a perfect niche to add hybrids to the vehicle fleet. If companies are switching fleets towards more FE (understandable with today's gas prices) then we all benefit. In a way (a small way until more cabs hit the roads, but it's a good first step) all those people in big cities without cars who use cabs to get around are going to become hybrid drivers, in a really efficient, car-sharing, maybe even ride-sharing kind of way. Now THAT's good news.
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