STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The city's entire fleet of 13,000 yellow taxis is set be to replaced with energy-efficient hybrids by 2012.

But Staten Islanders — who typically don't see many yellow cabs come through here — will still see old, gas-guzzling car service vehicles continue to spew their dirty emissions as they chug through the borough. 

Though Mayor Michael Bloomberg has expressed a desire to eventually change all taxis in the city to hybrids, his ambitious green taxi initiative does not outline a deadline for livery cab companies to make the switch. Environmentalists believe it's critical to expand the measure to further cut carbon emissions, but local car service companies hope it stays the way it is.

"For us, it will kill us," said Peter Maroda, a dispatcher with Bloomingdale Car Service, Meiers Corners. He pointed out that, though the hybrid taxis will help protect the environment and reduce gas costs for individual drivers, it will hurt livery car companies. "It will probably put a lot of businesses out of business. It's a good thought, but who's going to pay for it?"

No timetable is currently set to replace all taxis in the city — including 32,000 livery cars and more than 15,000 so-called black cars — with hybrid vehicles. Bloomberg and his administration are currently "working with stakeholders to double the efficiency standards in the livery and for-hire fleet," said spokesman John Gallagher.

The Ford Crown Victoria, the dominant vehicle used by yellow cab drivers, achieves only about 14 miles per gallon. After October 2008, all new vehicles entering the fleet must achieve a minimum of 25 mpg, and after October 2009, all new vehicles must achieve a minimum of 30 mpg. With average turnover of yellow cabs ranging from three to five years, it's expected that all yellow cabs would be replaced by 2012.

Few yellow cabs ever come to Staten Island and there are no yellow taxi stands in the borough.

Queens Councilman John Liu introduced legislation earlier this year calling for 10 new taxi stands to be established around major transportation hubs in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx — an idea that was met with a cool reception from the borough's three councilmen. There are no current plans in the works to establish yellow taxi stands in the borough, according to city officials.

That idea to include livery cabs in the hybrid plan is strongly supported by Fernando Mateo, president of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers. He said cabbies have an obligation to be "socially responsible" in helping combat the city's pollution.

"We believe that we need to expand it so we can make the entire city cleaner and more environmentally friendly," Mateo said, adding that many livery cars with low fuel efficiency have been on the road more than 15 years, spewing countless amounts of carbon emissions into the air every year. Any plans to include livery cars should be phased in so as not to put too much of a financial hardship on car service companies, he said.

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