Think it’s hard to hail a cab now? It’s about to get worse, as taxi-fleet owners run their old cars into the ground - because new ones are nearly impossible to buy.
High nationwide demand for fuel-efficient cars means that hardly any Ford Escapes or other hybrids required to replace old cabs under Mayor Bloomberg’s green-taxi push are available right now, people in the auto business say.
And although fleet owners are being allowed to buy more of the gas-guzzling Crown Victorias as they battle Bloomberg’s green-taxi rule in court, they’re still in a jam because Ford has already stopped making that model due to the mayor’s edict.
Even the biggest car dealerships catering to New York cabbies simply have no cars to sell.
“You could walk in with a check for $100,000, and I would have to tell you hopefully within the next month I might supply you with a car,” said Lee Komitor of Manhattan Taxi Center.
Best Ford Taxi in The Bronx had no taxi-suitable cars last week. City World Auto Group, also in The Bronx, had some Chevy Malibu hybrids but nothing else.
Panagiotis Papadopoulis of Checker Management in Long Island City hasn’t been able to replace any of his fleet’s 165 yellow taxis.
“I called a few dealers, and they say they are going to have cars in the middle or end of November, maybe,” he said.
About 2,000 to 2,500 yellow taxis in the city’s fleet of 13,000 are replaced every year.
It’s not clear when the shortage will ease. Ford says that after its routine summer factory slowdown, it’s ramping up production of the Escape hybrids and expects to ship 200 to New York in the coming weeks.
Under the green taxi push, the city has relaxed some of its standards on passenger comfort, effectively opening the market to more manufacturers.
Fleet owners hope their lawsuit, pending in federal court, will delay the city’s green taxi rules until manufacturers roll out heavier-duty hybrid cars they deem more suitable for New York streets.
TLC Commissioner Matthew W. Daus 
“The recent commitments made to the City by the major auto manufacturers have addressed any availibility-related concerns and ensure an ample supply of clean vehicles to the taxicab industry. There are numerous models of clean vehicles on the market, which has allowed us to inspect and prepare significant numbers of new hybrid vehicles for service, of which there are curently more than 1,500 on the road. Such temporary delivery delays are ordinary occurrences in the auto industry; they have never affected taxi industry service levels before, and we do not expect them to now or in the future.”
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Gil Avineri 10.14.08 at 8:48 am
I can’t wait to be driving a more fuel economic taxicab.
L. Will 10.16.08 at 5:35 pm
Do you think Bloomberg will change his mind, and allow the fleets to continue purchasing crown vics until more hybrids are made. The crown vic can definitely take the abuse of nyc streets. I would rather pay $10-15 more in gas and have a car that’s reliable, than drive a fuel efficient car that’s hard to repair and breaks down.
nyctaxiphoto 10.17.08 at 10:44 am
If anybody knows a good garage with only hybrids, I will work for them, and I will put in extra days too. I might even buy the car. If, they have the full partition.
PRASHANT SOLANKI 11.12.08 at 4:20 pm
From the Drivers perspective of Yellow Cab I Think its good to know we will be leaving less carbon footprint , paying again less at the pump, contributing to the independence towards the fuel dependency to foreign oil..
Hey its a win win situation for all of us.