Green limousine service pushes for airport licence
Last Updated: Thursday, April 19, 2007 | 2:38 PM ET
CBC News
A Toronto limousine company is trying to persuade city officials to change a bylaw that prevents it from using small, fuel-efficient hybrid cars at Pearson International Airport.
Steven Frei, co-founder of the Green Limousine service, has been told the firm's Toyota Prius cars don't comply with size rules under the city bylaw.
To qualify as limousine service, the hybrid automobiles would need to be able to carry up to five passengers and have more passenger legroom. The service would also have to one have stretch limo for every four sedans.
"The idea of bigger cars to take people to the airport is outdated," Frei told CBC.ca. "I think people are more interested in reducing their carbon footprint than the amount of legroom they have."
The Prius cars his company owns are 2007 models and "very comfortable," he said, adding that they'll be available for service in nearby Ajax and Pickering next month.
Frei decided to buy a couple of the hybrids — which run on a gasoline engine and electric motor — after reading the Tim Flannery book The Weather Makers, which outlines ways to fight global warming, he said.
He would buy more of the hybrids if he could convince the city to change the rules, outlined to him after he made inquiries about an airport licence in February, he said.
Frei has a meeting scheduled for later Thursday to present his case to Coun. Howard Moscoe, the chair of the city's licensing and standards committee.
"Clearly it can be done. There's a public appetite for it," Frei said.
Rule changes could have ripple effect: Moscoe
Moscoe has said he'll listen to Frei's request, but that any changes to the rules could have a ripple effect on the overall structure of a complicated industry.
Trips from the airport are almost always by licensed airport limousines. Airport officials place restrictions and fees on taxis. They can only pick up pre-arranged fares and must pay a $10 fee to the airport authority.
Hybrid vehicles have become more popular as gas prices have increased and environmental concerns have become more prevalent.
In stop-and-go traffic, a hybrid typically runs on its electric motor, with batteries charged by the gasoline engine. On the highway, they usually switch to full gasoline power and drive like a traditional car.
