New York's yellow taxis to be green by 2012

NEW YORK: New York's signature yellow taxis will all run on hybrid energy by 2012, reducing air pollution and helping to prevent climate change, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Tuesday.   

Bloomberg, who earlier this year announced an ambitious program to cut the city's greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent before 2030, said the new vehicles would be phased in immediately, replacing the current fleet.   

"The idea is to make our cabs more efficient," Bloomberg told NBC television.

"We have to do something. There's too much traffic and too much stuff in the air. We're not green enough."

The city's 13,000 taxis currently use almost 17 litres of gasoline per 100 kilometres on average, while the new fleet would see fuel economy of around eight litres per 100 kilometres.   

Taxis are currently taken off the road after five years, meaning that the fleet should be entirely hybrid by 2012, Bloomberg said.

"We're trying to do what's right," he explained.   

"There's an awful lot of taxicabs on the streets of New York City obviously. It makes a big difference. These cars just sit there in traffic sometimes belching fumes. This does a lot less. It's a lot better for all of us."   

The city was also working on introducing hybrid buses, garbage trucks and cars for its own fleet, he said.   

In a speech to mark Earth Day last month, Bloomberg unveiled 127 broad policy initiatives to cut greenhouse gas emissions, increase access to parks, reclaim unused industrial land and reduce water pollution.   

The initiative that received the most attention was a congestion charge imposing an eight-dollar fee on drivers seeking to enter Manhattan. The proposal is also aimed at reducing car use in the city and improving air quality.   

Other headline announcements included a plan to plant one million new trees in New York over the next decade.  

"Climate change is a national challenge, and meeting it requires strong and united national leadership," Bloomberg said at the time.   

Last week, Bloomberg also hosted mayors from around the world at a summit dedicated to reducing world cities' carbon footprint, notably by improving energy efficiency in existing buildings.   

His environmental campaigning and recent trips to other parts of the United States, where he has addressed issues of national importance, have fueled speculation that he could be preparing to run for president in 2008.   

Bloomberg has consistently denied such rumors, saying he is committed to serving until the end of his second mayoral term in 2009, although reports last week suggested he had set aside one billion dollars for a White House bid.   

If he does mount a presidential challenge, he is expected to run as an independent, even though he was elected mayor on a Republican ticket.