Blog: Taxis

Continuing to prove that the best way to get elected officials to do something is to have them run for office, the formerly dormant and now Congressional hopeful Councilman David Yassky has proposed legislation to enable cab drivers to use hybrid vehicles, which could achieve twice the gas mileage - 36 miles per gallon versus 18 or even 12 for the common Ford Crown Victoria taxi. Here's Yassky's press release and a supportive New York Times editorial.

Of course, this is just a first step. There's no reason we shouldn't require all new taxis to be hybrids once their success is established. The MTA is already replacing gas-guzzling buses with cleaner and more efficient models, and the sooner taxis follow suit, the better the air will be, and the less taxi drivers should have to pay in fueling costs.