Business Watch: Taxi Fleets

Burbank taxi fleet full of hybrids
Compressed natural gas vehicles are also gaining strength in numbers.
Burbank Leader: December 1, 2010 by Bill Kisliuk

The taxi fleet in Burbank is getting greener, and soon those greener pastures will make their way to Glendale.

The City Cab lot near Bob Hope Airport sports roughly 110 taxi cabs and minivans. Forty-six of those vehicles, or 42%, are now either gas-electric hybrids or Ford Crown Victorias that run on compressed natural gas.

Martin Shatakhyan, general manager of the City Cab fleet, said the company plans to have 75% of the fleet converted within four years.

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Burbank does not mandate conversion of the taxi fleet, but the Burbank City Council and Traffic Commission have established a policy encouraging taxicab companies to be as green as possible, according to License and Code Services Administrator Terre Hirsch.

"The proposals that are being most favored include a substantial amount of green cabs," Hirsch said. "Currently, there are 130 taxis in the city, and approximately 50% of those are green." READ MORE !

Green Day Planner: Carfree Day

World Carfree Day
September 22

An annual celebration of cities and public life, free from the noise, stress and pollution of cars. Each year on September 22, people around the world organize events of all sizes to showcase alternatives to the automobile.

World Carfree Network invites organisations and individuals everywhere to join !

As the climate heats up, World Carfree Day is the perfect time to take the heat off the planet, and put it on city planners and politicians to give priority to cycling, walking and public transport, instead of to the automobile.

Public Works: Transportation

Region’s 1st hybrid bus unveiled
City takes step in sustainability with fuel cell bus that can travel 250 miles before recharging, officials say. It can carry up to 67 passengers.
Burbank Leader: April 30, 2010 by Christopher Cadelago

DOWNTOWN — Burbank officials on Wednesday unveiled the first plug-in hybrid fuel cell bus in Southern California.

The 35-foot-long bus, which emits water as exhaust and uses a hydrogen fuel cell instead of a gas or diesel engine, will be put into service on city routes beginning next week and can travel 250 miles before recharging, tripling the fuel economy of a diesel bus, officials said.

The California Air Resources Board and state Energy Commission awarded the city $1.37 million to fund the roughly $1.7-million program. Burbank operates a hydrogen station and a stable of converted gas-to-hydrogen Toyota Prius models, City Manager Mike Flad said.

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Sustainability, a repeated goal for the council, has manifested itself in the city’s range of public transit options, with every resident living within a 1 1/2 -mile radius of a public park or recreational open space.

BurbankBus operates in and around the city on four fixed routes during morning and evening rush-hour periods. READ MORE !

Green Day Planner: April 28

RIDE THE FUTURE
April 28 - 9 am

The First Zero Emission Hydrogen Fueled Bus arrives in Burbank, California !

Attend the unveiling of the new zero emissions, ultraquiet, hydrogen powered bus on April 28, 2010.

“We are excited to be a leader in the use of responsible and progressive technologies. The City of Burbank has always prided itself on exploring alternative sources of fuel and this project is another example our Council’s commitment to sustainability”- Burbank City Manager Michael Flad

Community Services Building
- parking lot -
150 N Third

RSVP by April 22