Posted on 09/09/2008 8:29:49 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A group of New York taxi owners is suing the city over a plan to turn the entire fleet of cabs "green" by 2012, saying the plan compromises safety and is unconstitutional.
Under the plan, promoted as an environmental model for other large cities, every new taxi must get at least 30 miles per gallon, a target now met by hybrid and clean diesel cars.
The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, an association of taxi owners accounting for about a quarter of the city's 13,000 yellow cabs, filed a complaint in Manhattan federal court late on Monday seeking an injunction to keep the regulation from taking effect.
There are already about 1,400 hybrid taxis in the city, the Taxi and Limousine Commission said.
Hybrid vehicles are powered by a combination of gasoline and electricity. They emit less exhaust and have better gas mileage than other vehicles.
According to the lawsuit, only the federal government, not city officials, has the power to set fuel emission and efficiency standards.
Moreover, hybrid cars "have never been meaningfully tested and have no proven record of safety or reliability as commercial vehicles," the lawsuit said, noting that taxi cabs endured much heavier use than normal private vehicles, often being driven for 24 hours a day.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
After a 12 hour shift my nervous system would be in shock from all of the fumes.
Hard to be sympathetic with the NYC taxi commission people. I recall a story about them shutting down some budding competition recently. And their limitation on the total number of hack licenses keep the fares up, too, I guess.
“According to the lawsuit, only the federal government, not city officials, has the power to set fuel emission and efficiency standards. “
The feds control fuel emission and efficiency standards for manufacturing of vehicles, but can the city set a standard among available vehicles?
The feds control fuel emission and efficiency standards for manufacturing of vehicles, but can the city set a standard among available vehicles?
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If the city *sanctions* the cabbies, then you betcha!
1) What about the poor (the cabbies)?
2) What about the CHILDREN of the cabbies?
“You care about children ... don’t you?”
Actually, the federal government doesn't have that power as well.
It just assumed that power and we idiots didn't object loudly enough.
Maybe they can get Teddy Kheel to mediate.
Ooops. I forgot, he’s busy with Rangel and the resort in the DR.
Would this situation also lead to the eventual cancellation of Discovery Channel’s “Cash Cab” game show?
not sure, maybe they can get a waiver.. or move to a different city.
Just a hand salute to another fond memory. A snippet from Checker Cab history.
After the recession that started in 1979 and lagging sales, coupled with a change in the taxi industry, and ever imposing new government regulations, Checker closed the doors on the sixty-year-old assembly line. The Checker Cab was considered the Rolls Royce of the taxis in it’s hey day. It was a sad day on July 12, 1982 when that last iron horse rolled off the assembly line in Kalamazoo, bearing the green and ivory colors of Checker Taxi of Chicago. Sixty years prior to this, the first cab bearing the same color scheme, rolled off the same assembly line and onto the streets of the big cities, proudly carrying it’s passengers to their destination. It will not be long though before the cumbersome cab with all that room inside will be nothing but a fond memory to many people as they squeeze into the little compact with their suitcase on their lap reminiscing about the good ole’ days.
The company in still in existence, expanding it’s outside contract work, mainly in the sheet metal stamping and sub-assembly work for the automobile industry.
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