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MANHATTAN: HYBRID CARS TO JOIN TAXI FLEET

"Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signed a bill yesterday that requires the Taxi and Limousine Commission to approve, within 90 days, at least one hybrid vehicle model for use as a taxicab. The City Council members who introduced the measure said they did so because no alternative-fuel vehicles are in use, even though a Council bill in 2003 called for the sale of special medallions to encourage the use of cleaner fuels. Environmentalists applauded the bill signing. One of them, Marcia Bystryn, the executive director of the New York League of Conservation Voters, said that hybrid cars have far greater fuel efficiency because they combine a small gasoline engine with an electric motor that recharges automatically." Sewell Chan (NYT)