Archives

Because cab drivers are considered self-employed contractors, they keep half of their fare and all of their tips. With prices heading toward $4 a gallon and cab fares not increasing, Stiefel's best alternative was to buy fuel-efficient hybrids. (http://www.caller.com/news/2008/apr/08/green-clean-machines-cab-service-owner-invests/)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/prius_taxi_service.jpgFanny S. Chirinos - Corpus Christi Caller-Times - April 08, 2008

Green and Go Cabs (http://www.greengocabcc.com/) is going green. Owner Dan Stiefel is replacing about 14 gas-guzzling Ford Crown Victoria's with 2008 Toyota Prius hybrids.

High fuel prices were the main reason for his decision.

"When a driver has to spend more on gas than he or she takes home, that becomes a huge problem," Stiefel said… http://www.caller.com/news/2008/apr/08/green-clean-machines-cab-service-owner-invests/

That's good for him. The fuel surcharges some of these taxi companies/drivers impose aren't justified. When I was living in the DC area, Yellow Cab/Red Top Cab in Arlington, VA would use a fuel surcharge (back when gas prices were $2.60) while Fairfax county didn't have one. Yellow Cab in San Francisco with much higher gas prices weren't charging fuel surcharge at the time (they may be now with gas prices over $4 in some parts). When someone has to take a cab for a 5 min drive carrying groceries, that fuel surcharge doesn't seem justified.

Taxi drivers probably won't get the most out of a Prius because their driving style is typically "ram and jam." Still, ramming and jamming in a Prius is going to more fuel-efficient than driving the same way in a gas hog Crown Vicky.

Harry

I think this makes perfect sense. Cabbies w/ their extensive driving, and often in downtown! Good for this fella! Blazing some environmental trails for the rest of us. =D

I think it's great. I think hybrids would be perfect for the taxi duty cycle - lots of stop & go. That's where a prius shines.

And good to see this in Texas - the land of trucks and refineries.

Texas also has a ton of wind generation to be fair.

Texas also has a ton of wind generation to be fair.

Number 1 in the country :flag:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_the_United_States

Not to mention the automatic lack of idling! *That's* where
priuses really shine as taxis, when they're lined up at a taxi
stand waiting for fares, esp. in colder weather.
.
_H*

The article did attract the usual detractors who repeated the CNW Marketing Research/ Art Spinella propaganda if not by name so I corrected the record and it was amazing to me that responders to my post attached the luddite responses to me as well and then repeated my facts as their own. :eek:

If the Prius boosters and detractors didn't even read my account that the majority of the pollution in Sudbury, ON., ascribed to the Prius' NiMH batteries, was actually caused before 1972 then I don't know if they got anything out of the article.

The article did attract the usual detractors who repeated the CNW Marketing Research/ Art Spinella propaganda if not by name so I corrected the record and it was amazing to me that responders to my post attached the luddite responses to me as well and then repeated my facts as their own. :eek:

One of the things I've noticed recently is that there are seemingly fewer and fewer of these comments. It could be that people like us who actually put out facts are reaching more people, that people in general are embracing hybrids, or that the detractors are just getting repetitive stress disorder from typing the word "Sudbury" too many times.

If the Prius boosters and detractors didn't even read my account that the majority of the pollution in Sudbury, ON., ascribed to the Prius' NiMH batteries, was actually caused before 1972 then I don't know if they got anything out of the article.

Besides, don't other cars contain Nickel? I thought someone mentioned here that the Prius doesn't contain *that* much more nickel than similarly-sized cars, and that large SUVs and trucks contain more, but I couldn't find anything to back it up.

While we're on that tangent... over half the world's nickel supply goes into stainless steel. And just 1/2 of 1% from Sudbury goes directly to Toyota.

Perspective...