NYC Taxi Group Takes Up Fight Against Hybrids

A report by C. Bruce Gambardella, P.E., who has consulted for the City of New York and major automakers, says that New York's hybrid taxis are unsafe and are not fit to be used for taxi service.

Among Gambardella's major complaints are the partitions that are required by law to protect drivers from being robbed, injured or killed. Gambardella's report says that the partitions interfere with side-curtain airbag deployment, dislodge easily in accidents, prevent drivers from moving away from airbags during deployment, have sharp edges that can injure the driver, and provide significantly less legroom than the traditional Crown Victoria taxi cabs.

Gambardella also charges that by requiring modifications that run counter to the manufacturers explicit safety warnings, the Taxi and Limousine Commission in NYC has effectively created its own vehicle design and is required to crash-test the modified hybrids. Further, the report concludes that commercial hybrid vehicles were designed for private use, and that converting them to fleet use without heavy-duty modifications raises additional safety issues for passengers and drivers alike.

The report was commissioned by the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, which has sued the Taxi and Limousine Commission in US District Court to halt the City's mandate, which requires that all new taxis put into service after October 1, 2008 achieve a city mpg rating of 25 or better.

Source: Metropolitan Taxicab Board Of Trade