Environment

Board Approves Rebate Plan for Cleaner, Greener Airport Taxis

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Airport visitors could soon be getting a breath of fresh air in the form of cleaner, greener, less-polluting taxicabs after the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a $360,000 program Wednesday to entice cabbies to buy cleaner cabs.

The pilot project will give taxicab owners $4,000 rebates to scrap their older, gas-powered taxis and buy newer, hybrid electric, compressed natural gas, or alternative-fuel vehicles that create less pollution.

Supervisor Greg Cox, who brought the idea to the Board, said the program could mean cleaner air for everyone: taxi passengers at San Diego International Airport, people living in surrounding neighborhoods and the entire region.

“We could see a reduction of three to five tons of harmful air pollutants each and every year,” he said.

Cox said that the pilot program was intended to complete the effort the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority started several years ago to convert the fleet of taxicabs that serve the airport to less-polluting vehicles. The airport authority manages the airport; Cox is the Board of Supervisors representative to the authority board.

Officials from the County’s Air Pollution Control District (APCD) said 271 of the estimated 354 taxis that regularly serve the airport have already converted to cleaner vehicles, but that 83 remained older model, gas-powered cars and vans. APCD will oversee the rebate program.

RELATED: Air Pollution Forecasters Talk About the Weather

The rebate program will be paid for with money that the Department of Motor Vehicles collects from a $4 annual fee on vehicle registrations and gives to local governments to pay for motor vehicle related projects.

APCD officials said motor vehicles remain the largest source of air pollution in San Diego County. They said converting taxicabs to cleaner vehicles can significantly improve air quality because taxis often rack up more than 100,000 miles of travel every year.

Gig Conaughton is a communications specialist with the County of San Diego Communications Office. Contact