Thanks to Corinne Waite of TheCannonGroup, I was able to conduct an email interview with David Simon of Hybrid Limo Express. Simon is the Director of Sales and Development of the company, which has been in the business for more than 25 years as Corporate Transportation Group. Approximately 18 months ago, the company started using hybrids as part of its chauffeured transportation options and now has a hybrid fleet that consists of 200 vehicles. Of those 200 vehicles, not even one has been involved in an accident.

When asked about his thoughts on the use of hybrid taxis, Simon said,

“I think it was a good idea that The City of New York had in trying to implement this plan for several reasons. One is that with all the diesel vehicles driving around NY such as garbage trucks, buses, tractor trailers, etc., polluting the city. Then you factor in the thousands of taxi cabs that we have driving in the city. That gives off quite a lot of emissions which all go into the atmosphere, thus helping to create the green house gasses that we produce. If everyone switched to Hybrid vehicles, we could idle our vehicles all day because they would not emit one emission, as it would be all electric power(everything either at an idle or under 35 mph is electric, powered by the two batteries in the rear of the vehicle.) This would create the cleaner, greener New York that we all used to cherish.”

Simon was asked about his opinions on the safety of the hybrids that the company uses and he feels confident in their safety ratings and feels that “The people who say they are not safe are just lobbyists paid by the large cab companies who don’t want to spend the money to change their fleets!”

The company chose to create the hybrid fleet “because we see the future of rising oil and gas prices in this country as well as the movement toward going green. We also know that the decrease in the cost of fuel right now is temporary, and it will go back to $4.50 a gallon of gas. When it does, everyone will be coming to join us because when they have to pay $90 to fill their Lincolns and $40 to fill a Camry, at the end of the week a driver can put $200 to $300 more a week in his pocket instead of the car.”

In closing, Simon says, “The bottom line here is this, by switching to HYBRID vehicles, the world in general will be a better place for now, and for the generation of tomorrow. A typical vehicle will produce on average about 80% more emissions than a Hybrid vehicle. This is why the government is telling all the car makers to start producing more fuel efficient vehicles.”

Thank you to Corinne Waite and David Simon for taking the time to participate in this email interview. There is always more than one side to a story and it is a benefit to the readers of The Green Motorist to hear another side of the NYC hybrid taxi dispute.

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