By Jeff Rud

Bluebird Taxis, Yellow Cabs and all other shades of such passenger transportation in Greater Victoria and Vancouver are going green.

The provincial government said Monday that it will now approve only eco-friendly vehicles when handling applications for new taxi companies or additions to existing company fleets in B.C.'s two major urban areas.

That means all new cabs that hit the streets in either area will have to be "hybrid or other highly energy efficient vehicles."

Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said the move is part of government's pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 33 per cent by 2020.

"We should, by 2010, have a complete fleet of hybrid, clean-burning taxi industries in the Capital Regional District and in the Greater Vancouver Regional District and I think that's going to be a big win," Falcon said yesterday.

Local taxi companies and the B.C. Taxi Association supported the move. In fact, association president Mohan Jang said more than one-third of the 270 cabs on the streets of Greater Victoria are already hybrid.

"It is a step toward the right direction," Jang said of the government's announcement. "The industry had already started moving this way before there was an announcement made by the minister."

Richard Shorten, manager of Yellow Cab of Victoria, said more than half the company's cabs are now hybrid, most of them Toyota Prius or Camry models.

"This just meets our business plan to a T," Shorten said. "Our fleet is moving quite rapidly, in fact, to environmentally friendly vehicles."

Shorten said customers are happy to ride in hybrid vehicles and the company's 200 car-owners and shareholders save money on fuel.

Harry Pabbi, managing direct and president of Bluebird Cabs, said about 30 of the company's 82 cabs are hybrid. Another 25 are propane powered, although those do not qualify as environmentally friendly under the government's classification.

He believes that government should expand the plan to include propane and natural gas vehicles and also provide subsidies to make those options workable.

Pabbi said the stipulation that all new cabs in these urban areas be hybrid will create hardships for companies because there are few used hybrids available. That means buying new vehicles, as fleets have to be replaced, he said.

"Hybrid is not a bad idea, but those cars are very expensive," Pabbi said.

Falcon said he has written to the Passenger Transportation Board directing that all approvals of applications for new taxis in these two major urban areas be for eco-friendly vehicles.

Falcon said he doesn't see a hardship for companies because they must replace their fleets eventually anyway and subsidies for buying hybrid cars help.

"The fuel savings are very significant," he said. "The operational cost savings are very, very significant and very quickly start to make up the difference in capital that it costs to buy these things. And when you factor in the $4,000 worth of federal and provincial tax credits, I really think it actually starts to work for them."