Hybrid taxis are more and more common these days, but one hybrid model is represented by just two taxis. It's the Lexus RX400H, and Samuel Pekoh and Cliff Hammon-Adler are the only hacks with them. Even though the cars cost $46,000-52,000 each, Pekoh tells the NY Sun that his gas costs have dropped $45 to $20 daily. (Still, insurance is more expensive on the hybrid.) The cars come with DVD navigation systems and sun roofs, and neither driver has installed a partition. Hammon-Adler says, "Anyone who's going to buy a Lexus, they'd be crazy to put a partition in." Instead, they have a security camera. more ›

If you see a NYPD cruiser speeding around (not during an Operation Hercules exercise that involves like 30-50 cruisers doing a ballet), it might just be the brand new 2006 Dodge Charger the police are testing out this summer. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly introduced the 15 new cars yesterday, explaining the NYPD wanted to diversify its fleet, as it's currently made up of only Chevy Impalas and Ford Crown Vics. Plus they wanted to "add muscle in the car department" - the Charger has Hemistry! Another interesting thing about the NYPD Charger: It has a "stealth mode" - amNew York says "the interior lights are dimmed to look like the car is turned off." Appropriate for neighborhood busts? more ›

Gothamist likes to eat and can understand getting the late night munchies. But when we're on the road for business late on a Sunday night in a nice hotel that has room service and we get a food stipend, we usually order in. Apparently, if you're Duaner Sanchez in Miami, that's not what you do. Some details have been released about the early Monday morning accident the Mets reliever was involved in. Sanchez, his younger brother, and a "female friend" were all in a taxi when it was hit by a Crown Victoria on I-95 at 1:44 a.m. It's nice to know that the Mets don't have a curfew. As an aside - who knew that non-cops and old people drove Crown Vics (we assume that the driver wasn't a senior citizen as it was after their bedtimes). A Florida Highway Patrol lieutenant said that the accident could have been a lot worse for everyone involved, "That time of night is when you have the real horrendous wrecks." more ›

Come this summer, you may see a new NYPD car - the Dodge Charger, best known as the Dukes of Hazzard car. The NYPD is adding fifteen 4-door Chargers for its Highway Unit - they must really love the Hemi - and ten will be tested this summer. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "We're always looking for good equipment, including a little muscle in the car department," which almost sounds dirty. Of course, the NYPD's cars will have "fortified front seats, no rear-door handles and heftier brakes" according to the Daily News. Gothamist just hopes "Dixie" won't play on the siren. more ›

The Taxi and Limousine Commission has given the okay to introduce hybrid cars as new taxi cabs, starting as soon as this fall. The six new car models, two Hondas, two Toyotas, a Lexus (!), and a Ford, will be more expensive than the old stand-by of the Crown Victoria, but they will be more fuel efficient. Commissioner Matthew Daus says the Crown Vic gets 18 miles a gallon, while the hybrids get at least 29 miles. The NY Times has a graphic that breaks down the models, their cost, fuel efficiency and more. The TLC stalled on the issue of hybrid vehicles because legroom would be compromised; most Crown Vics have about 46 inches of legroom whereas the hybrids have around 36 inches. The NY Post notes that Commissioner Daus is 5'8". Gothamist is pretty excited about the new cabs, but we can wait for the technology to remove gross bus exhaust (especially on a hot summer day)! more ›