Boston residents can breathe easy.
The air just became a little clearer as Boston Cab Association, in collaboration with the city government, launched its first hybrid cab.
Environmentally conscious citizens in need of transportation can identify the vehicle, a Toyota Camry, by the diagonal green stripe slashing up its side, distinguishing it from the conventional, older Crown Victoria models.
Festus Igharo, who drives the cab, said both he and his customers are pleased with the new vehicle.
"I like it," he said. "The cost is good, and it saves a lot of gas ... The customers like it because the new car doesn't pollute the environment."
Cambridge architect John Moore's interest in reducing air pollution prompted him to spearhead the so-called CleanAir Cab project a little over a year ago. He suggested to the Boston Public Health Commission that the city look into fuel-efficient cabs.
The project encourages cab companies to buy hybrid cabs and pushes the government to offer economic incentives for companies to do so. Moore said he was amazed by the success of the project.
"I really thought I'd give up after a few months," he said. "I thought I'd hit a wall, and then I'd stop, but I never did."
Since then, Moore has aroused overwhelming support from the city government for his efforts to replace outdated vehicles with more fuel-efficient hybrids.
Bob Judge, an environmental engineer with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said that switching from outdated models to more fuel-efficient cabs will help to reduce emissions of ground-level ozone, the same gases that form the Earth's stratosphere. When on ground-level, however, these gases are considered harmful.
"Hybrids have the advantage that they generally have more fuel efficiency," he said. "The bottom line is that the biggest advantage is, when you replace older cars with newer ones, this often means tighter emission standards."
Judge said the Massachusetts government's endorsement of the CleanAir Cab program underscores a host of other environmental measures, such as the adoption of the California Low-Emission Vehicle program and the reduction of harmful emissions from power plants.
Moore said that taxi companies may be reluctant to purchase the more expensive hybrid models and that the government is working to put together a package of economic incentives to combat this.
"The state can help a lot," Moore said. "I know they're looking into tax incentives, especially sales tax on cabs."
Government support has been strong since the CleanAir Cab program began. Moore said this was instrumental in getting the word out to cab companies and convincing them of tangible benefits of switching to more fuel-efficient models.
"The key has been a real partnership [between the state government and cab agencies]," Moore said. "There's a lot of credit to be spread around."
Paul Shoemaker, program supervisor of the Boston Public Health Committee's Environmental Hazards Program, worked closely with Moore on the project, and pointed to the help the Boston Police Department (BPD) gave program workers in evaluating the hybrid designs and ensuring they passed muster for use as taxis.
"[The] most important piece is that the [BPD's] Hackney Division inspected and approved the vehicle for use as a taxicab, which was a key hurdle," he said. The Hackney Division handles all issues dealing with taxis.
Concerns about hybrids' smaller size chiefly motivated the police department's investigation, said Director of the Licensing Division Mark Cohen. After taking measurements of the new model and comparing it to the old cars' proportions, Cohen said customers should adapt quickly to the Camry.
"For trips around town, I doubt many passengers are going to notice [the difference in size]," he said.
Anticipating the growth of the program, Boston will look to the example of cities such as New York and San Francisco, which have incorporated substantial numbers of alternatively fuelled cars into their taxi fleets.
"The ambitious goal is to see 100 cabs that are hybrid or use alternative fuel out on the street by this time next year," Shoemaker said. "Every one that we can replace with some more fuel-efficient model means less pollution."
The introduction of hybrids will also help build the city's image as an environmentally innovative metropolis, Moore said.
"I think they often refer to cabs as the first impression of Boston people get coming from the airport," he said. "These [hybrids] give a great impression."
Shoemaker said that citizens have so far been receptive to the project.
"Everyone we've encountered since we've announced it has been very supportive," he said.
