Green machine II

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You could call it a green taxi, but that wouldn”™t fully describe the new vehicle unveiled by Joe”™s Taxi and Transportation in New Paltz and Highland, a hybrid purchased to reflect the ecological sensibility of the region and painted to reflect the scenery enjoyed by its customers.

The arrival of the new hybrid in these Ulster County towns contrasted sharply with an announcement made the same day in New York City where a federal judge overturned regulations designed to increase the number of hybrid taxis in the Big Apple. Taxi companies in the city had argued that hybrid cabs would be neither safe enough nor rugged enough to handle the big city streets.

But the operating experience of the hybrid cab already operating in New Paltz seems to debunk those fears ”“ albeit far from the potholes of Eighth Avenue ”“ and inspired purchase of a second, with others to follow.

The colorful Toyota Prius Hybrid unveiled at a ceremony at the Walkill View Farm on Oct. 31 is the second hybrid added to the Joe”™s Taxi fleet. It depicts the Shawangunk Ridge and iconic Mohonk Tower. Its purpose and advantages go beyond the aesthetic into business sense and ecological sensibility.

Company President Joe DiBlana said the company started in 2005 with “one 1994 Dodge Caravan,” and now has four autos and a 17-passenger bus. One of those cars is a hybrid Prius added to the fleet last year, which DiBlana said has performed flawlessly. “It”™s been a regular little workhorse. It has exceeded our expectations,” DiBlana said. He added that passengers like its appearance and eco-sensibility. 

He unveiled the mural-covered car before a small but appreciative audience. “It gets 46 miles per gallon,” DiBlana said, basing his figure on the performance of the first hybrid purchased by the company  

That first hybrid, Joey”™s Peace-Mobile, is decorated with flowers and peace signs and proved both fuel efficient reliable and easily recognizable as it transports customers. While unveiling the second hybrid, with its mural of the scenic vista seen from New Paltz, DiBlana said that within months he expects to add a third hybrid to the fleet.

On the same day Joey”™s Taxi took the wraps off its new hybrid, a federal judge in Manhattan issued an injunction to stop the city from enforcing a rule that would have made it mandatory for most cabs to be hybrid gas-and-electric vehicles by 2012, saying  only the federal government has authority to regulate fuel efficiency.

The taxi industry claimed the available hybrids were not designed for the rough duty of New York, were more prone to breakdown and  are less safe, with occupants more likely to be injured in accidents.

DiBlana said such arguments are wrong. “The safety of our customers coupled with a concern for the environment must be uppermost on our minds at all times,” he said.