However, the gypsies are definitely a huge source of pollution in the outer boroughs, but I think the administration is right for working to regulate black cars first. First of all, black cars are usually new cars, whereas livery cabs are usually retired black cars. So when a black car retires, it becomes a livery cab. The best way to change the “input fleet” of livery cabs is to change the black cabs. Livery cab drivers buy used cars almost exclusively so the more used and slightly beaten ex-black-car hybrids that are in the city the better it will be for the livery cabs. Forcing livery cab drivers to buy a 22,000 car with 0 miles on it (as opposed to an old town car with 150-180k) is a significant financial burden. Forcing someone to buy a new lexus hybrid instead of a 7 mpg escalade or 12 mpg town car is definitely a step in the right direction. Forcing black cars to retire early will create a huge new fleet of used hybrids for use as livery cabs.

Does anyone know if livery cab regulations require a certain type of car? If they do, I think it should be liberalized. A used camry or accord will get much better mileage than a used town car.

It’s worth noting that this is a significant source of noise pollution in many neighborhoods as well.

Livery car services can have accounts like that, but a lot of their business is reservations by phone or web request to a dispatcher. I didn’t know for sure whether there were separate regulations for the black cars and the livery cars, but apparently there are.

Livery cab drivers are not legally allowed to respond to street hails, but some do (illegally). Some actively solicit business; if you’re reasonably well-dressed (or white) in an outer-borough neighborhood, livery cab drivers will give a light tap of their horn as they pass to let you know they’re available.

When hybrids are idling, the engine will shut off. It will kick back on when needed for acceleration. The time differential is quite short, too. If you drive/ride in a Prius or Civic hybrid, you’ll notice the engine turn itself off while waiting at red lights.

Because if they burn fuel, then this is just one more huge, ridiculous distration from the real issue: city-wide, 24 hour idling.

Even if this will make a difference, there will still be thousands of motorists in other vehicles obliviously spewing filth into the air just like they are all over town, this very minute.

I usually have very little faith in “enforcement” as a solution to the problems we discuss here, but in the case of idling, the problem is so destructive that it HAS to be reined in somehow, and enforcement is the only way I can imagine it happening. And the city is not interested. When I wrote them, they told me to call 311 when I see idling. Now that’s a funny image.

Can’t they add idling to the list of infractions parking agents can write summonses for? I mean, what the #@$%%%%@$ are the City’s priorities?

But I have to wonder when the Mayor will announce that black cars (and taxis) have stopped idling illegally, parking in bike lanes and generally just trying to run me off the road when I ride my bike? Now that would be green.