No Mandatory Hybrid Taxis for New York

The government has been, for years now, a vivid supporter of the automotive industry, pumping billions to save the dying industry in 2009 and releasing regulation after regulation trying to force the adoption of greener vehicles. At times, however, a court, like the US Supreme Court, comes in and foils all those plans for greatness envisioned in DC and elsewhere.

New York, America's finest, is planning big when it comes to the future of motoring on its grid-like street. Soon, the city will become the single one in the world to adopt a single vehicle as a taxi, but the plans the current mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has for the city's cabs don't stop there.

For about four years, the mayor is fighting in all types of courts imaginable for his right to force cab operating companies to adopt fuel-efficient hybrids. That battle ended this week after the US Supreme Court said the ultimate “no.”

The decision made by the court is in line with what the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, the association of the New York taxi operators, wanted. The court ruled in their favor saying that it is up to the feds, not local officials, to decide on the fuel-economy and emissions standards.

Bloomberg on the other hand doesn't plan to stop and, despite disagreeing with the motivation of the decision, he plans to take his battle to a higher level.

"The cities are those that are addressing real-world problems, like climate change and energy policy," Bloomberg was quoted as saying by the New York Post. "The federal government seems unable to address those issues."