In Shift, City To Boost ‘Green’ Cabs When TLC Auctions Medallions
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In an abrupt change of course, the city is planning a significant boost in “green” cabs when the Taxi and Limousine Commission holds its final scheduled medallion auction next month, Mayor Bloomberg announced last night.
Of the 308 medallions to be sold, 254 will be reserved for alternative fuel and hybrid taxis, nearly four times as many as the city had previously planned.
The move comes just two days after the taxi commissioner, Matthew Daus, testified in opposition to a City Council bill that would have mandated that half of the remaining medallions be reserved for alternative-fuel cabs, and the other half for wheelchair-accessible cabs. At the hearing on Tuesday, Mr. Daus criticized lawmakers for “waiting until the last minute,” saying that their proposal had “created significant confusion and concern among potential bidders and the taxicab industry, including lenders and brokers.”
Officials said the decision to increase the number of hybrid cabs came from Mr. Bloomberg, who announced the shift in a speech last night to the New York League of Conservation Voters, a group that has pushed to make all of the city’s nearly 13,000 cabs environmentally friendly.
“Clean air and fuel efficient cabs are in the best interests of all New Yorkers,” the mayor said in a statement.
Mr. Daus praised the mayor’s decision as a “bold and positive step.” The executive director of the League of Conservation Voters, Marcia Bystryn, also offered approval. “The mayor has taken a great step towards turning yellow cabs green,” she said in a statement.
Mr. Bloomberg’s decision threw the council bill, scheduled for a vote next week, up in the air. While the shift provides for even more alternative fuel cabs than lawmakers had sought, it offers no increase in the number of wheelchair-accessible medallions to be sold, now set at 54. In his testimony this week, Mr. Daus said the current fleet of 27 wheelchair-accessible cabs had been beset by technical problems.
The council speaker, Christine Quinn, had supported the bill. Her spokeswoman, Maria Alvarado, said only that “our legislation is still in process.” A council source said last night that lawmakers were negotiating with the mayor’s office on a compromise regarding wheelchair-accessible cabs, and an agreement could be announced as early as today.
