It's hard not to cringe when you drive past gas stations these days.  But the financial sting of the prices is most painful to those who drive for a living.

One local cab company has found a way to get around the high prices.  They've gone hybrid.

While the rest of the world is sinking more into filling their tanks than ever before, Tom Christian is saving.

"I came to the point where I either had to something to compete either raise my rates or change cars, I decided to change cars and keep the rates the same," said Tom Christian, Dad's Taxi.

Tom estimates that he saves about $800 a month in fuel costs. "My gas bill was $1200 a month now it's under $400, just by changing cars."

Do the math, by the end of the year Christian will have saved about $9600.

A hybrid does best in stop and go traffic, so really a Prius is a cab drivers dream in Idaho Falls.

"Engine on demand, the engine starts when you need it," said Christian.

So when you're waiting at a stop sign, the engine shuts off and the battery clicks on.  Just listen. And the car is getting a lot of attention.

Asked if the car is a running advertisement, Christian said  "Yes, I get a lot more attention, a lot more people call just because they want to ride in it."

Of all the cabs in Idaho Falls, Dad's boasts the only hybrid, but it's an option he says most cab companies will have to think about soon.

"Its something that has to happen and I think at some point everyone is going to have to consider because of the gas prices," said Christian.

Hybrid taxi cabs are something that cab drivers in New York City have been forced to think about.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is requiring that each of the 13-thousand cabs in New York City be hybrid by the year 2012.

http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=6661296