With a year to go before the
United Kingdom showcases the
2012 Olympics, London's iconic black cabs are undergoing a greener makeover.
Several changes are behind the effort. London's cabbies are encouraged to work as "
green ambassadors" and drive smarter; new rules that remove cabs 15 years or older will encourage replacements with cleaner models; and now Mercedes and other models that are more efficient are slowly working their way into the city's fleet of 22,000 cabs. While that means 3,000 cabs could be newer, cleaner, and greener by the end of the year, city officials want more to be done. In fact, a
study suggests that if all of London's cabs were electric, that would save 4000 tons of carbon a week--or reduce air pollution by 16%.
Riding one of those Hackney carriages is a guilty pleasure you have to experience in London. With a shift to greener taxicabs, London is well on the way of putting on a global, yet compact and innovative, show next year.
