Can a taxi company be 'green'?
July 20, 2010 | Length: 00:02:05
SF Green Cab's GM Athan Rebelos says, "When I heard that Green Cab was getting Priuses, I literally chuckled, that will never work." But he admits he was totally wrong. Rebelos talks to SmartPlanet about how the company's all hybrid fleet has helped the company reduce costs and do less harm to environment all at the same time. He also discusses their carbon offset project and how they're incentivizing cabbies to ride their bikes to work.
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Hybrids make total sense as taxi cabs
In
Finally fixed the discussion! Yeah!
RE: Can a taxi company be 'green'?
Smart planet - dumb blog...
Hybrids make total sense as taxi cabs
stop-and-go traffic or idling; scenarios where hybrids are clearly
superior.
What will be interesting is to see how they hold up mechanically over
the long term. After police cars, being used as a taxi is probably the
most abusive use for an automobile.
RE: Can a taxi company be 'green'?
All start/stop and waiting for pick-up! Let's hope more people see that such great examples make sense.
Really impressive that they offset remaining usage too!
They can probably charge higher fares too and still get business from the more 'aware' public; environmentally focussed businesses; and those looking for a more novel drive.
I'm not sure they can charge higher fares...
scenarios, customers are not free to choose one cab over another.
So this only works if they are honestly more efficient than their
traditional competitors.
First Prius cab
Both Yellow and Black Top Cabs have a significant portion of their fleets as Priuses. Probably the only reason more of their fleets aren't Priuses (over 400 cars between the two) is the new car cost - I suspect it's hard to find a used Prius and Corollas are about half the price.
Stop-and-go
Taxi cabs, Transit buses, and Garbage trucks are three major applications with the potential for huge savings by using hybrid technology. Fuel consumption can be reduced by nearly half. With soaring fuel costs, it's amazing to see how short the break-even point is.
Long-haul travel applications save a little with hybrid, but usually not very much, and usually not enough to justify the additional cost of the vehicle. Frequently the break-even point is longer than the life of the vehicle.
RE: Can a taxi company be 'green'?
RE: Can a taxi company be 'green'?
Finally fixed the discussion! Yeah!
I believe a Google search for solar trees will introduce you to such.
Transcript
>> I'm at 16th and Mission. Do you got anything for me?
>> Got one at 10th and Harrison.
>> 10th and Harrison? On my way.
>> Athan Rebelos: San Francisco Green Cab is a little over 3 years old. It was started by eight cab drivers who wanted to start a new cab company that was a little more socially responsible, a little more environmentally responsible. It's the first cab company to be committed solely to hybrids or alternative fuel vehicles in the country. The advantages of using a hybrid far exceed any expectations we may have had. And I remember when I heard that Green Cab was getting Priuses, I literally chuckled. I said, that will never work. And I was totally wrong. We're in an industry that by nature is a polluter. Really, it turns out that usually what's good or better for the environment is usually good for us, too. It's cost-saving for us, like trying to squeeze a few more miles out of the tires by rotating the tires, picking a good brand of tires, you know, using a more expensive lubricant that lasts longer. We use carbon offsets, and we're actually a zero carbon footprint company. The offset goes to Carbonfund.org. They use the money to redevelop rain forests and to plant trees to offset the emissions. We discourage the drivers from driving their own cars to work. We charge them to park a car here, but we let them bring a bicycle or motorcycle. I want Green Cab to be synonymous with San Francisco, like the cable cars. I want 100 years from now for there to be green cabs and for that legacy to continue on.
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==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====