If 60 per cent of Edmonton’s entire taxi fleet were replaced with hybrid vehicles, carbon dioxide emissions from the fleet would be cut by nearly 25 per cent each year, says a report that will be presented to councillors today.
The report, written by city administration and the city’s Vehicle For Hire Commission, studied a number of models of cabs used in the city and how much each vehicle emits in greenhouse gases.
“This shows a hybrid four-cylinder vehicle emits 50 per cent of the carbon dioxide compared to a typical eight-cylinder Ford Crown Victoria,” the report read.
The report says 30 per cent of the fleet is replaced with new vehicles each year and the rate is sometimes higher during “healthy economic times.”
But the city still has 222 taxis that are pre-2000 vintage — roughly 18 per cent of the city’s taxi fleet. And 35 of the city’s 1,220 taxis are hybrids — roughly three per cent of the present fleet, the report said.
The city is looking to replace taxis and the commission is expected to bring recommendations to council later this year.
