"Currently our attorneys are working closely with city attorneys to determine what the next steps will be."
Noah Bierman -
BOSTON - July 24, 2009
I'd love to see all taxi services convert to hybrid vehicles, but I'm not sure legislation of this sort is the answer. --Ed.
Boston cab owners won a significant victory yesterday when a federal judge ordered the city to stop enforcing a year-old rule requiring them to buy new hybrid cars by 2015.
US District Judge William G. Young’s granted the request for a temporary injunction after the city refused his request to voluntarily halt implementation of the plan while he weighed his decision on the legality of the restrictions.
A lawyer for the cab owners who filed suit against the regulations said he hopes the injunction will prompt the city to reach a settlement.
“The cabdrivers recognize that we have to do everything we can to protect the environment,’’ said Paul H. Merry, who represents the Boston Taxi Owners Association, which filed the suit.
Cab owners have pleaded for the right to buy used hybrids or other fuel-efficient vehicles to meet the city’s requirements. That flexibility would save them money not only on the price of the vehicle, but also the cost of insurance, which can run as high as $14,000 to $20,000 a year for a new Toyota Camry Hybrid, cab owners say.
But the city has insisted the owners buy new vehicles, arguing that a phased-in approach over seven years will help the environment and provide a comfortable ride to passengers without causing undue hardship to...
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