Taxi company wants to be the greenest

We celebrate Metro Taxi for going green!

We met Katie from Metro Taxi the other night and she was nice enough to send me this article. Fortunately in Denver, taxis and pedicabs get along well and we promote and refer each other. We understand the different markets we each serve. In fact, when someone calls directory assistance for a taxi, our number comes up; so we get lots of calls for taxi rides that we can't fulfill. After explaining that we're the bike taxis, we give them the phone number for one or two taxi companies in town.

One evening we were at a local business networking event talking with a rep from Yellow Cab when Greg's cell phone rang. The woman on the other end was looking for a taxi to take her to the airport. Greg politely asked her to hold on for a moment, then turned to the rep and said, "I think you'll want to take this one," as he handed him his phone.

Metro Taxi is Proving Eco-Friendly Investments Pay for Themselves
Contributed by: Katie Facchinello

On Feb. 14, Metro Taxi, Denver's largest taxi service, announced the addition of 10 hybrid taxis to its fleet, bringing the total number of hybrids on the road to 20. Metro Taxi launched Denver's First hybrid taxi in May 2007 and since then has quietly added hybrid taxis, implemented other environmentally friendly practices and nowproclaims to be the greenest taxi company in the country.

Chris Cotter, the Director of Sustainable Initiatives for Metro Taxi explains "no other taxi company in America has made as large of a capital investment in eco-friendly services or implemented such a holistic approach to reducing their overall carbon footprint. We are footing the bill 100% for our eco-friendly investments and happy to report that it's an investment that has benefited our bottom line".

Metro Taxi is eliminating the Culture of Waste at it corporate facility in Denver, Colorado and implementing environmental projects that will pay for themselves in the long-term. Hoping to be a shining example of a small business making environmental investments for a sound economic future.

"Green is hot right now. There's no question consumers are increasingly using environmental factors in making seemingly everyday decisions," said Denver Greening Director Parry Burnap. " Companies like Metro who step out ahead of their pack now, will stand out in the crowd when the Democratic convention comes to town. While they will be showing off their own company, they will be contributing to our efforts to convey Denver's collective aspirations and hard work to be a truly sustainable city.We applaud Metro's practical commitment to sustainability throughout their operations from the maintenance floor to the vehicles they buy. We hope they are setting a standard that others will follow."

Metro Taxi has invested in a waste oil furnace which burns used oil from preventative maintenance on its taxis to heat its vehicle maintenance facility. Prior to the installation of the waste oil furnace, Metro Taxi paid approximately $2,600 monthly to heat the building and now pays nothing!

Metro Taxi has replaced all of the windows at its 29,000 sq. ft. facility with double paned, low energy windowsin an effort to reduce the amount of energy used for heating and cooling by Metro Taxi's corporate offices.In November '06 Metro Taxi paid $1,200 to heat the 3-story building, as opposed to just $100 in November '07.In December '06, Metro Taxi paid in excess of $2,000 in heating costs as opposed to $764 in December '07.

Metro Taxi is also set to retrofit all of the lighting fixtures with energy efficient lighting, which will reduce the energy needs of the corporate facility by 50-60%.

-This project will result in 14.3 kW removed from the energy grid and 53,539 kWhr saved per year, preventing 367.81 Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Emissions.

-The affect of this project is the same as saving 306 Acres of Pine or Fir Forest or 9,563 seedlings grown for 10 years or saving 41,931 Gallons of Gasoline.

Metro Taxi's goal is to replace the entire fleet with hybrid taxis and continue projects like these along the way to "green" the company on and off the road. The hope is that the people of Denver will continue to use Metro Taxi (303) 333-3333 and support the environmental effort the company is making in the Denver Metro Area.