Squamish is getting with the green times and Howe Sound Taxi owner Frank Ryan wants locals to know he's onboard.
Ryan announced the first hybrid taxi to run in Squamish hit the streets this week, and the 2007 Prius is expected to pay for itself in less than 24 months through savings on parts, service, labour and fuel.
Few other hybrid drivers could say the same, but Ryan said he'll get a good return by keeping his hybrid taxi on the road for up to 24 hours a day, averaging 160,000 km a year.
Since the gas motor is not running all the time, the Prius doesn't waste fuel while idling, an enormous advantage for a taxicab.
Ryan said the Prius burns between 10 and 15 litres of gas per 12-hour shift, compared with between 35 and 55 litres for a regular cab. In addition, he said the vehicle costs only one-third the usual expenses on maintenance over a 24-month period because it has fewer wear-and-tear components.
"You are saving between $35 to $40 a shift, which makes a huge difference in the long run. They are smaller vehicles but certainly safe and we hope to add more hybrids to our fleet," Ryan said. "Of course we still need a certain amount of vans and wheelchair accessible vehicles."
Ryan did his research before adding a hybrid to his fleet. He said hybrid taxis are often used in larger cities such as Vancouver. In fact, North America's first hybrid taxi was a 2001 Toyota Prius operated by Andrew Grant in Vancouver. His Prius surpassed 400,000 km with no hybrid component failures.
As the highest mileage 2001 model on the road, it was shipped back to Toyota in Japan and stripped down for research.
"I think that 25 per cent of the taxi fleet in Vancouver are Prius. They are quite expensive but they really do pay for themselves. I think the technology is rapidly improving," Ryan said.
As gas prices rise, Ryan said he will suffer less at the pump. The goal is to save money, but Ryan said purchasing the hybrid is also about shrinking the Howe Sound Taxi carbon footprint.
"If we can lower the fuel consumption in this industry, it's a win-win situation. Taxis or not, more vehicles are converting to this hybrid technology," Ryan said.
In a tourist town such as Squamish, Ryan said vans will always be a necessity to transport people and their gear. He would like to see Toyota come out with a hybrid van.
"I would love to see hybrid vans out there eventually," Ryan said.
Howe Sound Taxi is heading into a very busy year with the 2010 Winter Games around the corner. Ryan has applied for temporary operating permits that would allow him to have five to 10 more taxis on the road. If all goes well with the Prius, many of those taxis could be hybrids.
