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First Class Car and Limo Services driver Alejandro Reyes with the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV he purchased in 2008, one of a growing number of drivers who are bringing a greener approach to the industry.
In a city where over 13,000 yellow cabs and over 40,000 livery cabs and for-hire vehicles roam the streets on a regular basis, reducing gas emissions is a big deal.
So big of a deal, in fact, that in 2005 New York City began introducing incentives for yellow cab companies to begin using electric hybrid vehicles. The Bloomberg administration planned to replace all of New York City’s yellow cabs with hybrids by 2012 but has been prevented by court rulings. Currently, about 30 percent of New York’s yellow cabs are hybrid or cleaner diesel vehicles.
It has remained unclear whether or not the less regulated livery cab industry would follow suit.
However, in the past few years there have been signs that black cars may be headed in the same direction. This is important news for neighborhoods in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx that rely almost entirely on livery cabs for car service.
The change is not being pushed by any regulations but appears to be happening due to the interest of cab drivers and riders themselves.
Alejandro Reyes, who has driven for First Class Car and Limo Services for 15 years, has been a part of the shift to hybrid vehicles.
In May of 2008, Reyes purchased a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV to replace his Lincoln Towncar, which was the symbol of the livery car industy.
He said he made the switch for a few reasons: he wanted to help the environment, save energy, reduce his expenses, and provide his customers with more comfort.
When Reyes first considered getting a hybrid, very few other hybrid livery cabs were on the road and there were no hybrid SUVs. He ran the idea by First Class. They said if he could buy it, they would let him drive it. At the time, a normal SUV cost $44,000 while a hybrid was $56,000.
Since then, the hybrid SUV has become something of a status symbol. Reyes said the hybrid has brought a better name to the company. It is a bigger car that consumes energy the way a small car would.
Reyes said that the extra $12,000 it cost him to buy the SUV has been worth it. While most of his fellow taxi drivers are spending $50 a day in gas to drive Lincoln Towncars, he spends $20 to $30 to drive an SUV.
“There’s a big difference in spending $300 a week to $150,” said Reyes.
And the environmental impact is significant as well. It is estimated that hybrids decrease carbon dioxide emissions by half and reduce smog producing emissions by 90 percent.
Reyes said he began to see more drivers purchasing hybrids after he bought his. He had some other drivers asking him how the hybrid SUV was working. The drivers began talking about it amongst each other, and he saw the word spread through informal drivers’ networks.
Reyes has also seen customers increasingly calling to request hybrid vehicles. He said that his hybrid SUV is often requested by groups, especially if they are going a long distance. Others request it for the comfort.
Reyes said he wouldn’t just recommend the hybrid to other cab drivers but to anyone who drives and can afford to make the change.
“If the cab drivers were willing to look at their costs and if they could afford to make the change, then that switch would happen,” said Reyes. “This idea should take off for the environmental value. The city’s already so polluted. If we had nothing but hybrids, the city’s pollution would decrease significantly.”
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