A fleet of 85 guilt-free taxicabs soon will be plying Arlington streets, offering transportation for passengers who want to go green.

The Arlington County Board this week authorized a new taxi company to operate with an all-hybrid fleet of 50 vehicles and gave rival companies permission to add 35 hybrids. Hybrid cars are fuel-efficient and produce low carbon emissions, a byproduct blamed for such environmental problems as global warming. The green taxi expansion is part of a county campaign known as Fresh AIRE, or Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions, which aims to cut production of greenhouse gases from county buildings and vehicles by 10 percent by 2012. County officials are seeking as many ways as possible to promote energy efficiency. Arlington recently added eight heavy-duty buses that run on natural gas and are equipped with bike racks. The county also recently certified 17 home building and remodeling projects as energy-efficient, thanking the homeowners at an awards ceremony. Fuel savings alone will help make the new taxicab initiative profitable, county officials said as it won unanimous approval Tuesday. Officials said they believe the county will have the largest hybrid taxi fleet in the Washington area. The vehicles are expected to be on the streets by year’s end.

“Investing in hybrids makes sense for the environment and good economic sense for these companies,” said County Board Chairman Paul Ferguson (D).

“It’s exciting; it’s progressive,” resident Chris O’Brien said.

Many taxi drivers criticized the board’s decision, saying that although they too want to promote good environmental stewardship, adding more cabs to the streets will make it harder for drivers to earn an adequate living. Former taxi driver Lou Gatti displayed photographs showing that cabs clog many Arlington streets.

Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/19/AR2007091902438.html