August 10, 2007

Rockland Taxi Service Rolls Out Hybrid Fleet


vISIT tHE tAXI-mART sHOP

ROCKLAND (NEWS CENTER) — A taxi business in Rockland is getting a lot of attention these days. Schooner Bay Taxi has rolled out what it says is the the first fleet of hybrid taxis in the state of Maine.

The company is now operating four Toyota Prius Hybrids as the mainstay of its cab fleet. Company owner Doug Merrill says he needed to replace some of their older vehicles, and also needed to find ways to save money, especially with high gas prices. He says the high mileage hybrids may cost more to buy, but there should be long term savings.

"Fuel prices are hitting us very hard, so that's why we're making the attempt with the hybrids to lower our fuel costs. So in the future as fuel increases, we can keep prices lower for local riders," said Merrill.

The people who operate the cabs say the hybrids are already attracting lots of attention and comments from customers. After the first week of operation, the hybrid cabs are said to be averaging around 48 miles per gallon. That's more than twice the mileage of the old cabs.

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=68377

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