In 2007, the TLC ruled that any cabs purchased after fall of 2009 had to get at least 30 mpg, something that cab drivers quickly fought, saying the city couldn't force them to buy lower-emissions or hybrid vehicles. And they seem to have won. The US Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal over lower court decisions that ruled against the city, effectively ending any options to mandate fuel efficiency. However, neither side seems happy about it.
TLC chairman David Yassky told the Times, “I am bitterly disappointed. New York City is trying to reduce literally millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions, and the Supreme Court has told us we can’t do it." Mayor Bloomberg said at a conference yesterday that New York's appeal was supported by several other cities across the country: “The cities are those that are addressing real-world problems like climate change and energy policy. The federal government seems unable to address those issues." He said he plans to lobby Congress to change the law.
Michael Woloz, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, wasn't exactly ecstatic with the decision either. He told the Post that they support fuel efficient cars, but under city rules it would have been "impossible" to make sure a hybrid fleet met safety standards. He told NY1, "Unfortunately when the original plan that the mayor announced in 2007 was accelerated by four years, it put us in a position where we simply couldn't comply."
Under court rulings even the "Taxi of Tomorrow" doesn't need to be fuel efficient. Recently riders chose the Turkish-made Karsan model as their favorite possible taxi, though it's unclear how many miles per gallon the model would get. Currently nine of the 12 car models that can be used as taxis are hybrids, but restricting the list to just hybrids would probably be considered a form of regulation and therefore blocked. As would converting every car into a Flintstones-esque foot-powered vehicle, we're guessing. And don't you dare think of making people share their rides.
