Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, Yellow cab turned green.

The taxi company known for driving home Pearl Street Mall revelers at 2 a.m. introduced two Toyota Prius hybrids, one Ford Escape hybrid and a yet-undetermined number of propane-powered cars to its fleet on Friday.

The Denver-Boulder company plans to add two more Prius hybrids in two weeks.

“We're just starting the process,” said Ross Alexander, regional general manager of Yellow Cab. “We could head for a whole (propane) fleet.”

Propane-powered vehicles produce more emissions than hybrid vehicles, but are cheaper.

Yellow Cab is not a proprietary name; other “Yellow Cabs” in different cities are owned by different companies. The majority of Las Vegas' Yellow Cabs are propane-powered, while all of San Francisco's fleet is hybrid.

State Rep. Claire Levy, who sits on transportation and energy committees, says switching to eco-friendly vehicles is a boon for both the earth and the wallet.

“By introducing hybrids into their fleet, they're going to save a lot of money on gas,” Levy said, “so it helps them and the environment.”

Each Yellow Cab drives 45,000 to 90,000 miles a year. Cab drivers shoulder the cost of gas.

For cab driver Jeremy Thompson, 37, that means his earnings dwindle each week that gas prices inflate. He used to spend $40 to $50 on gas each shift. Now that he drives a hybrid, he only spends $15 to $20 on gas, and pockets the savings.

So what's he going to do with the extra $20 per shift?

“Save it,” he said. “Put it in the bank.”

Alexander says switching to eco-friendly vehicles is a win-win situation.

“The driver reaps the benefit of the fuel savings,” he said, “and we all get cleaner air.”

http://www.coloradodaily.com/articles/2008/03/17/news/c_u_and_boulder/news3.txt