Hybrid taxis in San Francisco doing great, New York fleet still too new to know

The Ford Escape hybrid taxis that are rolling through the streets of San Francisco I mentioned last week are getting good reviews from apparently everyone, according to The Auto Channel: drivers, cab company owners and riders. Drivers are saving about $20 to $30 a shift on gas and getting bigger tips from their riders as a thank you for doing something for the environment, and even the air conditioning costs are less than in sedan taxis. The taxis, which are just about reaching or passing the 100,000 mile mark, are getting a closer look as a serious contender to the long-time reliable sedans now that they've been in service for a while. In New York City, the hybrid fleet is too fresh on the streets for owners to gush about, but with the results from San Francisco, it seems likely that this sort of good news will keep rolling in, and hybrid taxis are in the future for Las Vegas and Chicago. In SF, the goal is to have half the taxis in the city be hybrid or run on compressed natural gas by 2008.

[Source: The Auto Channel]