NYC Hybrid Taxis Unfit and Unsafe, Says Report

[Jack66]

I think the author had some interesting points, but they were offeset by the fact that the article was so one-sided against anything other than the Victoria. Looking at both sides would have given his arguments more weight.

[usbseawolf2000]

But... the speed limit in Manhattan is 25 MPH or lower if posted.

[usbseawolf2000]

Originally Posted by SageBrush

Why won't a Crown Vic with side airbags fall under the same criticism as an airbagged hybrid ?

I don't even think many of them are equipped with side airbags.... too old.

[FL_Prius_Driver]

Originally Posted by bbald123

This report could just have easily looked at the Corolla and come to the same conclusion.

It's not the Prius' hybridness, it's the relative lightweight construction. (Relative to a Crown Vic for instance).

Bullseye. According to this article, NYC citizens should not be riding GM hybrid busses.

[robbyr2]

We have several Prius cabs here in the Denver area. In the run-up to the DNC week before last, there was a mention of them on local TV. The company says they have worked out fine.

And there are other posts on PC about Prius taxis with hundreds of thousands of miles of good service.

But of course, we don't need a divider between cabbie and passenger yet.

[SageBrush]

Originally Posted by usbseawolf2000

I don't even think many of them are equipped with side airbags.... too old.

Indeed, but the article did not try to prevent new Crown Vics from being taxis.

An article that showed data demonstrating a problem between side airbags and current partitions would deserve to be taken seriously, and we could talk about either removing the side airbags or modifying the partition ...

For ALL taxis affected, regardless of hybridness or age.

In a non-hack job form, this is a call to engineer a smart partition.

[hampdenwireless]

Originally Posted by DaveinOlyWA

so one would expect the manufacturer of the crown vic to just roll over and take up it the wahzoo??

That would be Ford and they are discontinuing the Crown Vic anyhow and the car used most as its replacement is the Ford Escape so they are not complaining. Its the taxi companies due to the cost of the switch that are complaining. Funny, it will save them money in the long term.

[Enorris]

If the NYC taxis actually learned how to drive they they wouldn't have the problems. The Typical Taxi driver is harder on cars then I was when I was 16. They gun the car off the line and continue to accelerate until they have to slam on there brakes. I wonder what type of milage the PRIUS taxis are getting in NYC. If the Taxis just drove less aggressively they would double the milage they would get.

[JimN]

This is all politics. The only difference is that this time the shoe is on the other foot. The City dictates which vehicles can be taxis. For ages only the Checker Marathon could be a taxi. Someone lobbied (guess who) that other vehicles should be allowed and that all "old" taxis need to pass "safety" inspections. "Old" taxis also presented an image poblem for the City. New Fords replaced Checkers because the new cars didn't need inspections and Ford could build a car cheaper than Marathon who only had one customer base. Now Ford is doing what it can to protect this market from competition because they know that given a choice their vehicles will disappear from the fleet within a few years. If Ford could slap a blue oval on a Prius this wouldn't be an issue.

BTW there is a posted 35mph speed limit on 10th Ave which is a main artery feeding the Lincoln Tunnel.

[SageBrush]

Originally Posted by hampdenwireless

That would be Ford and they are discontinuing the Crown Vic anyhow and the car used most as its replacement is the Ford Escape so they are not complaining. Its the taxi companies due to the cost of the switch that are complaining. Funny, it will save them money in the long term.

I'm not positive about NYC, but in most US cities the fleet owner buy the cars and maintain them, but the cabbie foots the fuel bill. In Vancouver the cabbie buys both car and fuel. The Prius has become the taxi of choice there.

So I agree that Ford is unlikey the key player here (although they like the publicity, and likely support the machinations going on). This smells of fleet owner self interest.