Hello all! I'm brand new to Prius Chat and thought I'd stop by and say hi! *wave* I signed up for this forum not because I actually own a Prius (I actually own a Chevy Lumina), but because I drive a Prius taxi cab Totally serious! And so while I don't own it, I drive it 12 hours a night 5 nights a week....so might as well learn all I can about it and how to take care of it right? When I orginially started driving the Prius cab I admit up until that point I thought Prii were quite frankly...ridiculous. I didn't understand the hype at all. But now that I drive one on the regular I just love this car and would like to own one in the future for myself! I have driven models from 2006-2010. My cab is a 2009 Prius. Can't wait to learn all I can! I have always been a Toyota fan in general, and now the Prius has won me over. Here's pics of the 2010 I drove all week. My 2009 will be given to me tomorrow.
Welcome... You have valuable experience of what kind of extreme limits a Prius can handle... We've many questions for you... --What part of taxi driving a Prius puts the most stress on the car? --Are you able to watch MPG readings while driving? If so when is it highest? When is it lowest? --Do you benefit financially when you save gas, as opposed to not caring and driving fast? Or both? --What kind of warning signs have you noticed when a Prius is about to break down on you? --Does driving the car fully loaded change the car's ability to function moderately or extremely? --What's your MPG on a good day? --What's your MPG on a bad day?
2009: storage/cupholders. It has more "hiding places" for money Also like the touch screen to manage the AC/Audio/etc. 2010: styling, different driving modes, driving position is more comfy for a tall person like me who is 6ft.
assuming you came from a Panther platform Ford, do you find the reduced cargo space of the Prius a challenge for picking up fares, especially those going to/from an airport? What other compromises are made compared to the more traditional taxi vehicles?
I never drove the Crown Vic taxis, so I can't compare. However the Prius seems to have more than enough room for my airport passengers' luggage. The only other downside of a Prius cab is that you can fit 3 adults in the backseat, but it's not as spacious back there as a Crown Vic or similar vehicle (our company still has a few CVs in their fleet so I've seen them, but their on the way to retirement after this fall.)
