Taxi cabs are going green in British Columbia and helping us keep paradise from being paved. The British Columbia provincial government is hoping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the amount of fuel used by the provinces transportation industry in an effort to lower overall greenhouse emissions 33% by 2020. They plan to have the passenger transportation board approve taxi cab licenses only for eco-friendly vehicles which will be an exciting change for the provinces transportation industry. Hopefully the idea of using green vehicles will catch on in other provinces as well which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by vehicles on the road, offer some great savings to the cab companies, and possibly persuade more vehicle owners to buy eco-friendly vehicles.

This ambitious new project will require all new taxi cabs to be fuel efficient vehicles or hybrids. This will mean huge savings for cab companies and the environment. Eco-friendly vehicles are eligible for a $2000 provincial tax exemption on top of the federal rebate of $2000. There are also great savings from a fuel economy perspective. The hybrid vehicles have a fuel burning rate of less than %50 of a regular taxi cab and the vehicles last for mush longer which means less replacement vehicles. The fuel savings could potentially be close to $10 000 - $12 000 a year in fuel savings. That amount of fuel savings translates into a huge reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from taxi cabs and a great example of why vehicle owners should strongly consider switching to a hybrid vehicle. In addition to the environmental benefits and fuel savings there are some insurance companies that have started to offer lower insurance rates for Green vehicles.

Cab companies everywhere have been taking advantage of the savings associated with going green and the environmentally friendly image doesn’t hurt either. This is the first time in Canada, where the government has become directly involved by pressuring the cab companies to use eco-friendly vehicles. This not the first time that we have seen cab companies going green. Many cities in the United States offer totally Green cab services, but it is a much harder thing to find in Canada. There are already a few green cabs on the streets of Vancouver, however, and they are definitely the objects of much interest from other provinces. Taxi cabs are usually on the road for about 3 to 4 years, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and taxi cab company owners who have been using hybrids say that they are much more reliable and durable than other cars they have used. In fact one hybrid vehicle used by a cab company in Vancouver ran for 330 000 kilometers without any engine problems. Toyota offered a replacement and took the vehicle to study the engine of the hybrid vehicle.

As far as transportation goes, it is much better to use a bike, walking, the bus, or the train to get where you need to go if you are looking to have a low impact on the environment, but that is not always possible for everyone all the time. It is encouraging to see that some cab companies are finally starting to go green because they are on the road so much that they contribute a huge amount to greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption. If every taxi in Canada and the United States was a hybrid or fuel efficient vehicle, it would reduce emissions and fuel consumption by an unbelievable amount and we can help make that happen just by encouraging more cab companies to use eco-friendly vehicles. Hopefully one day every vehicle on the road will be eco-friendly and this is a positive step in that direction because it shows how beneficial these vehicles can be. The best way to reduce emissions and fuel consumption caused by travelling is still to not use a vehicle if you don’t have to. Walk, bike, roller blade, or use public transportation of you must and when you do have to get into a vehicle make it a green one.