San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom bragged yesterday that his city was beating New York in the race to turn taxi fleets green: Now 57% of San Francisco's taxis are either hybrid or run on compressed natural gas. "To Mayor Bloomberg, we have done it," said Newsom. "We beat you on this...The Big Apple is not the green apple yet." You gonna take that, Bloomberg?!
Newsom's criticism comes not without reason. Bloomberg's push to turn all the city's cab's green by 2012 was blocked by a Federal Judge, saying that emissions-related laws were only for Congress to make. Currently, only about 11% of the city's taxi fleet is hybrid. However, the TLC's Taxi of Tomorrow Project has highlighted "sustainability" as a key point in their Request for Proposals.
The project "seeks upgrades to its existing taxi fleet and is proactively exploring vehicle possibilities that more appropriately reflect the needs of its diverse stakeholders - passengers, drivers, owners and NYC residents," according to the TLC website. Sustainable cars may also mean a smaller bottom line for the TLC. Mayor Newsom pointed out that not only are hybrids better for the environment, they require fewer brake repairs. Though maybe Toyota didn't get the memo.
