Why havent taxis been forced to change to hybrid vehicles/ renewable energy/ greenhouse gas friendly fuels?

Question

With all the concern over climate change, greenhouse gas emmisions and rising petrol costs, taxi companies are not using environmentally friendly vehicles.
Shouldnt the government be regulating the taxi industry and forcing a change to "greener" alternatives.

I realise that many of the contributors to this site are from the USA. I was asking about the Australian Taxi industry.
Taxis may initially cost more as the change is made, but, some of that cost would be offset by the fact that these vehicles are more fuel efficient than the big 6 cylinder cars that are currently used and the rising costs of petroleum products.
The Taxi industry in Australia is already regulated, through licensing and fixed metered pricing.
The change to eco friendly vehicles in Australia for taxis would have a roll on effect to domestic vehicles due to the size of the Australian market, encouraging the automotive manufacturers to supply affordable eco friendly vehicles to the Australian public.

Answer 1

In my city 80% of taxis are Prius hybrids. The temperature is routingly below -20 deg. C this time of year and it doesn't seem to bother them. The taxi companies love them because of the savings in fuel and there is no increase in fares to the customer.
This time I don't think we need to legislate the change as taxi companies are going to realize it'll earn them more money to go green.

Answer 2

It's the picture of a broken government. edit: Wow, great answer from JS. DrM actually has it correct. The entire growth economy of the world is based on resource extraction (be it mining or agriculture or fishing) and the value added to those resources. Or, you could say, the equity markets of the world are a giant Ponzi scheme based on the future value of resources. What happens when the resources run out? What happens when the resource base is poisoned and will no longer produce or even sustain? What cornucopian capitalism fails to recognize is that resources are finite, both in what can be extracted and the volume of waste that can be assimilated. The answer is a sustainable economy. I can't say what that should look like, but making socialism the bogeyman doesn't solve any problem, it only serves to perpetuate the current system of graft and inequity. If our social systems were transparent and fair, capitol holders would work to protect the commons instead of exploiting them for every last dollar. JS has pointed out what is happening now and why. Vote third party, vote Green, vote anything but status quo. In a rational world there would be no need for subsidies. People would choose perpetually clean free energy from the sun (free as in free from recurring cost) instead of finite and toxic energy from carbon, even if the up front costs were greater - because they would realize that the long term costs were far worse. But we don't live in a fair transparent economy and in ignorance the we fall for the false choice.

Answer 3

This would make only a small difference and cause a political storm.

A better way is for the government to develop a good cost effective hybrid taxi, maybe subsidize them. The increasing price of fuel will do the rest.

Answer 4

Well global warming isn't real but the damage to the enviroment is... So th ewhole thing about this is the big oil companies are idiots with a 7 year old mentallity. They are afraid they would go out of buisness. When really if they wanted to make more money they should be the ones that start the Hydrogen fuel era. And it wouldn't have to be a sudden change. First you set up the hydrogen fuel stations... Second you create hydrogen combustions engines (which have been made in germany already and burn both gas and hydrogen) and you slowly start to make fewer hydrogen hybrids untill you've replaced all gas buring cars with hydrogen consuming ones. ITS SO EASY! I don't understand why the world refuses to believe that.

Answer 5

Things don't just appear out of thin air because the government says so. If you expect to replace every taxi in the country with a brand new hybrid, be prepared for a monumental tax hike. Plus, taxi comanies are private businesses, the government has no business meddling in their affairs. That's the whole point of democracy and capitalism, it's what separates us from the socialists.

Answer 6

They have been in NYC.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/27/nyregion/27hybrid.html?ex=1280116800&en=a5609296bb84dbfb&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

And in Santa Barbara I saw Priuses used as taxis.

http://www.independent.com/news/2007/jun/14/lucky-cab-jumpstarts-eco-friendly-taxiing-santa-ba/

They also have some hybrid taxis in Chicago and San Francisco:

http://www.ford.com/innovation/environmentally-friendly/hybrid-technology/hybrid-taxis-chicago/hybrid-cabs-343p

So many individual cities are making this change. They're the ones who have control over taxi services (it's not a federal issue), so it's up to individual states' governors and cities' mayors to make this change. If a city's citizens demand that taxis be hybrids, they can make it happen.

Answer 7

cause we live in america and you cant force a business to run the way you see fit, its not your business. NYC is in the process ofchanging their fleet of taxis to hybrids, but it is on an individual basis, you cant just force some cabby to sell his crown vic and buy a new expensive car, Free markets, government stays out of business, cant force anyone to do anything, AMERICA

Answer 8

The same reason the bus and train companies aren't forced to drop diesel fuel: because you, the customer, don't want to pay the incresed fare.

Answer 9

I get so sick of people asking why OTHER people are not forced to do this or that thing that YOU want them do do. BECAUSE WE LIVE IN A FREE COUNTRY. That's why! Don't like that? Then try living in North Korea. Everybody gets forced to do everything there!

Answer 10

Because it is a free market and a free society. What part of this do you not understand.