Nov29
Highland taxi company adding hybrid car to fleet
By Hank Gross, Correspondent
HIGHLAND - Joey's Taxi Co. currently has seven vehicles in its fleet - three standard cabs, a minivan and two party buses. An eighth will be added next week: a three-passenger 2006 Toyota Prius that can get up to 60 miles per gallon of gas.
The Prius, a popular gas-electric hybrid, may be the first of its kind among taxis in the Hudson Valley, according to Joseph Diblanca, the owner of Joey's Taxi Co. on Vineyard Avenue in Highland.
"Neither I nor my wife nor my partner have ever seen a hybrid taxi in the entire Hudson Valley," Diblanca said. "I've talked to friends, I've talked to family, and I've talked to many customers and residents of the area, and no one can say they've seen one until now."
Taxi companies contacted in the cities of Kingston, Poughkeepise, Newburgh and Beacon said they have no hybrid vehicles in their fleets.
Diblanca bought his hybrid at an auction, and he said that with its new paint job, the total cost of the vehicle was $25,000.
The transportation director for Joey's Taxi Co., Michael Ennis of New Paltz, said the company is adding the hybrid to both help the environment (hybrids emit less carbon into the atmosphere than gas-only vehicles) and fill the transportation needs of local residents.
"We figured with global warming and all, we had to do our part to help out while still maintaining a good financial practice," Ennis said. "So we waited until we found a good deal on a Prius, a well-known and reliable hybrid vehicle, and now we've got one.
"We feel we are doing a great justice to our customers by adding a new vehicle, and to the Earth for making it a more environmentally friendly one."
Numerous scientific experts believe increased carbon emissions from vehicles and factories are contributing to the gradual warming of the planet.
Ennis said Joey's Taxi Co. hopes to have only hybrids in its fleet within a few years.
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