Jaxicab's Appraisal of the Prius as a taxi
Quote:
After the first couple weeks of driving the 2011 Gen III Prius as a taxi, both Xopher and I agree that there is no going back from a hybrid; the design is perfect for driving, perfect for taxi service.
You can say a lot of good things about the car, but let's face it; the real appeal is in how it affects the bottom line. So check this out: taxis do a lot of city driving and the Prius gets 50+ mpg city or highway. If all goes well and we can drive this car 300,000 miles, (shoot the moon!) we should experience an incredible(!) amount of fuel savings. For instance, over that many miles, at $3.95 a gallon, our Prius will be $55,300 less expensive to fuel than the car we retired, all the while generating the same income!
Mega win!
Besides winning at the pumps, the Prius has other benefits:
- The regenerative braking system is basically the electric motor running backwards. That not only means you can slow down without friction, (no need to replace brake pads etc) you even generate electricity. Wow.
- Most frequently I am driving alone, or have a single passenger; now I feel much more efficient than before because the vehicle matches my load.
- I've driven some big, tall people already. One guy sat in the front, must have been 7 foot, 300+ pounds with his 5 inches of spiky hair, but he fit, got the seatbelt on and everything. I don't think the car could have handled anyone else, and we were both glad he was alone, but our fleet has some huge vans that would be more ideal for extremely tall customers. Those Scion xB's have a lot of headroom too...anyway the Prius can handle the other 90% of taxi business perfectly
- The hatchback allows more flexibility in cargo space. I can put the seats down and have room for a bike in the back and the rider in the front. I've even lugged a vintage dining room table and two chairs to a storage space! Couldn't ever do that with a standard sedan.
- Taxi drivers get paid to idle. In a Prius, I am still paid the waiting time without wasting gas.
- It is so quiet! Passengers appreciate the quiet as well.
- Being smaller and shorter with a better turning radius, the car is much more navigable and extremely easy to park.
- The joystick (yep, I'm calling the gear shifter a joystick) is a futuristic trackball-like device on a control panel, making the driving experience feel more like operating a moving computer than driving a car.
- The built-in Ecodriving meter is responsive and informative, making gas saving easy. The statistics make it a game to try and stay in electric drive and get the best efficiency. Not a bad thing to be encouraged to do but easy to ignore if I just want to get somewhere quickly
The list can continue, and when I think of more I'll add them
Overall it is stylish, comfortable and has been getting really good reception from all age groups and demographics, even people who have previously avoided hybrids for "political" reasons but like it and seem shocked I tell them it is a hybrid. Quite a few people have said they began to consider purchasing one of their own during the ride
If you are a taxi owner facing that sad, yet inevitable replacement of your vehicle, get a Prius.
My friend James Kelly from LivingTheGreen.tv shot a video with me and the new taxi, I get to see the finished product tomorrow! I'll post a link as soon as I can We took some high quality photos as well that I am excited to share, stay tuned
Jackson Cafazzo
