City officials see “no credible evidence” that new fuel-efficient taxis are unsafe - despite industry worries that they provide too little passenger space and aren’t designed to take safety partitions.
“Taxicabs with improved gas mileage are fully performing, saving drivers money and doing so safely,” First Deputy TLC Commissioner Andrew Salkin told a City Council hearing yesterday.
But the bulletproof partitions separating cabbies from their passengers often block the side airbags in hybrids, people in the taxi business say.
TLC rules are looser for [tag]hybrids[/tag] - they’re not required to be built to the same heavy-duty standards.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
nyctaxiphoto 09.25.08 at 3:39 pm
Phew, they threw out the case before the oct 1st deadline. Maybe i’ll be driving one of those sippers soon yet!
OldCabbie 09.26.08 at 7:22 pm
I have been driving an escape for a while now…it is really good car if you are a cautious driver and it will save cabbies a lot of money….the problem is that these garage owner dont want drivers to save money…what happens is that a driver working full time will save about 200 - 300 depending on how much he works…but fleet owners cant find a way to get that money from your pocket…because they can’t ask for $1800 lease for 2 shifts per week and yet they are stuck with expenseive repair…it is a good move for drivers but bad for fleet owners. It kills me when they use drivers to criticize these car for their own benifits…repair is bad right now but it will get better when industry takes it turn towards hybrids…some of you might be old enough to remember the transition made for chevy to ford…ford ’s repair was very expensive in the begining but it got better within first year…..Think about it…I am sure it will make sense to you!!!! GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY MAKE A LOT OF MONEY!!!!! and join a union!!!!
Real Cab Driver 09.28.08 at 11:54 am
I’ve never driven a cab with a partition. I’m not sure I’d want to. Is that partition optional?
I’ve always driven a propane cab, 20 years now. Propane is pretty cheap, relatively speaking, and it burns really clean, so passing emissions is no problem. Propane can be hard to find, if you have to go on a trip out of town, but a tank is good for at least 150 miles, and I’ve found propane in places like Mosinee, Wisconsin, and Chicago in the dark of night. I’ve never needed a tow truck, because I was out of fuel, and out of town. They say, it’s a few grand to convert a Crown Vic to propane, but when you retire that Crown Vic and convert the next, all the parts are still good, so that’s a one time investment.
It is hard to imagine driving a real new car as a new cab.
Kiko 09.30.08 at 5:35 pm
Partition is like a shower curtain, just never clean!
Travis Bickle 10.02.08 at 2:50 pm
It’s a dirty business… and the metershops will loose alot of it at $600 a partition.
CabZone 10.02.08 at 4:23 pm
We have the GPS in our cabs, and also the OnSTAR system. All the “hi-tech” gadget, but NO Security Camera in the smaller hybrid cabs, except few ones. The L shape partition is the best solution? We have the new Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid with Straight Partition now, just like in the Crown Victoria, but no comfort for the driver! Now the bad guy may take the front seat.