had been driving to Wash DC daily for a couple weeks, and see at least 3-5 dozens of Prii daily, majority Gen III and at least 20% of them taxicabs. Different companies, same story. From economic point of view makes perfect sense; typical cab runs 200-300mi a day. Over this distance Prius with current gas prices would save ~$20 a day when compared to Crown Vic. $20 a day = $600/mo, even w/o lower maintenance costs on new vehicle, savings would more then cover new car payments.
Re: I see alot of Prius Taxi The sums are easy. You use half as much fuel you spend half as much on it. Result.
Re: I see alot of Prius Taxi In some taxicab scenarios, the person selecting and paying for, the model of cab is not the person buying the fuel. Low capital costs outweigh operating costs in that scenario. In other scenarios, operating costs dwarf capital costs and a higher priced, cheaper to operate vehicle makes sense. Perhaps cabbies here could advise us if one person paid for the car and all maintenance but fuel, would the Prius pay for the 'hybrid tax' in maintenance alone, not the obvious fuel savings?
Re: I see alot of Prius Taxi Can't comment on the US but here the fuel savings make the car worthwhile. Take fuel out of the equation and the benefits are minor. Brake pads last twice as long (European brakes are softer and sharper) but that cost is negligable. The 0w20 oil is expensive against the competition. Even with certain tax benefits here it wouldn't make the Prius worthwhile as such. It might sell due to its smooth ride etc but fuel savings are the big one. Perhaps that's why there arn't as many Prius cabs here in the UK? The fuel savings are perceived as minor compared to the compromises of having a smaller boot/trunk that the competition, as well as most drivers historically using manual transmissions.
Re: I see alot of Prius Taxi This is an article about the cab company in the next town over, addig Prii to their fleet. Woodbridge Checker adds hybrid taxis to its fleet | MyCentralJersey.com | MyCentralJersey.com
Re: I see alot of Prius Taxi Capital cost is probably a big factor in the US. Not the "hybrid premium" but something else. Articles about the legal battle about NYC requiring hybrid taxicabs explained that taxi companies typically bought retired police cruisers at auction extremely cheaply. Cost of converting to a taxi was probably in the same ballpark as converting a hybrid, though repainting would be an added cost. An added problem of course is safety: these cars already have several years of hard use as police cruisers.
Re: I see alot of Prius Taxi Prius cabs are very common up here, I think by far the majority ownership. Mostly second gen, though 3rd gen getting more common. Downtown maybe 50%?
Re: I see alot of Prius Taxi The truth is that using Prius in place of Crown Victorias will save even more gasoline than just the driving mpg. Taxi cabs are usually left running for hours on end to keep the taxi cab warm or cool for passengers (and the driver), thus they burn a lot of gasoline while not moving. Since the Prius has an electric A/C it will save even more gas during these between fare waits. We have but one taxi cab in our town... It's an Escort which is actually a step up from his previous car which was a Reliant K Car.
Re: I see alot of Prius Taxi THe ones I see the most are the "Blue Top", "Crown", etc are white with painted blue roof.. only one in traditional taxi yellow/black. PS speaking of looks the Taxi-light looks seriously dorky on Prius
I don't see that many, but I don't go downtown, just East Capitol Street to the hill. I have seen lots of Prius taxis in NYC when I go there. Mostly Gen II. The driver looked a little cramped, though. At least he was running his AC. The crown vics will drive around with the windows open instead of the AC on, even in DC, which will prevent me from taking the ride.
Here in Vancouver, as another poster said, it's very plentiful. The fuel is more expensive here and it's not just the driving miles but the TONS of idling mileage too. Taxis tend to sit around a lot waiting for passengers and during that time, the prius can save a lot more than just driving miles. There was an article in the local newspaper saying how a cab company bought priuses and were able to save a lot money on fuel costs per month, enough to make up the differences within 2 years or something.
Was it this; CTV British Columbia - Hybrids prove very reliable - CTV News (you've got to watch past the commercial - it's worth it)
I think you are wrong most NYC Prius cabs are GenIII (and even 2012!!!) and a growing number of them Prius V !!! This solves their space issue and still hybrid !!! (Also had many camry-s and even Ford Explorer hybrid but I have not seen "new" ones). I drive around them in Manhattan every day in my prius ...
I see at least 5 cabs per day on my commutes here that are G3 or G2 Priis. Discount Cab seems to be the leader - oddly 20 years ago all they drove was clunky "guzzlers". Now their bumper slogan is "Green cabs for Blue skies" (all their Priis are bright green). I'm also seeing more Yellow Cabs here are Priis. It just makes good sense.
Sorry. I hadn't noticed this thread when I posted my thread Barcelona Prius Taxis There are a lot of them there, too--about 1 in ten or so, I guess.
Be interested to know from the Dealers or other folks in the know from Toyota: What percentage of Prii sold these days are taxis? Anyone?
Haha.. Now that I have Prius I notice a lot of them on the road. I too was quite surprised to see that many Prius cabs in Chicago.
