FAQ

Are you really Green or is it all just flashy marketing?

What are Carbon Credits?

Are the Prius' batteries recylable?

How is the Prius itself recycled?

Does running Hybrids make us an environmentally friendly taxi company?

Do you charge more than other taxi companies for being Green?

Does Greencabs accept Taxi charge and Taxi Chits?

Doesn't the prius run only on petrol out on the open road?

Does Greencabs provide seats for babies and toddlers?

Is Greencabs Really Green?
Most will know that the Green Cabs fleet is all Toyota Prius'. They were selected over other vehicles for a number of reasons but on the 'Green' front because they were one of the few vehicles to have achieved Euro 4+ rating. (For more info on the rating system see greenvehicleguide)...

What are Carbon Credits?
Carbon credits are a tradable permit scheme. They provide a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by giving them a monetary value. One credit allows the owner to offset 1 tonne of carbon emissions produced

Are the Prius' batteries recylable?
The hybrid batteries are lasting for the life time of the vehicle. (More than 400,000km as a taxi in one instance in Vancouver.) When the cars eventually come to the end of their lives, Toyota has a nationwide programme in place for the collection and recycling of hybrid batteries. Dead batteries will be transported overseas (no facility in NZ) and disassembled. All component materials (precious and scrap metals, and plastics) from electrode plates, casing, cables etc.are recycled.

How is the Prius itself recycled?
Toyota adopts a 'life cycle' approach to its vehicle manufacture.

This means that all impacts are assessed (from use of raw materials in manufacture, emissions during driving and recyclability at the end of a car life) and reduced as far as possible using sophisticated computer modelling. This happens at the design stage of a new car, to reduce potential environmental impacts before every new model goes into production.

In addition to the low emissions and excellent fuel economy provided by the Hybrid Synergy Drive system, the Prius has incorporated a number of innovative 'green' design features and materials. This reduces the impact on the environment when the car is manufactured, and makes it easier to recycle when its time eventually comes.

These include:

• Low PVC content (1/10th of that used in a conventional car)
• Use of bio-plastics (which don't use petroleum)
• TSOP plastics with superior recyclable properties (meaning they can be recycled repeatedly without a deterioration in quality)
• Materials made from plastic PET bottles, diverted from landfill
• Interior cabin sound-proofing materials made from auto-shredder residue (scrap cars are shredded and the material re-used), diverting waste from landfill
• 1/3 lead content of conventional car Chlorine and bromine-free materials
• Easy-to-dismantle features to enable easy dismantling for recycling

Does running Hybrids make us an environmentally friendly taxi company?
Here at Green Cabs we understand that running hybrid vehicles is only a part of being an environmentally friendly Taxi company. After all, hybrid vehicles still use fossil fuels (although not as much as other vehicles) and still produce harmful emissions (although again, not as much as other vehicles).

Accepting and being responsible for the harm that our business does to the environment and putting processes and partnerships in place that enable us to offset those impacts, through activities such as Tree Planting, Native Bush Regeneration and other forms of investment in carbon reduction activities.

So in short at Green Cabs an eco friendly taxi company is one that actively taking steps to offset their carbon emissions and ensure their business practices are sustainable. If a company isn't committed to those activities we would question whether they really care about the environment.

Do you charge more than other taxi companies for being Green?
No we don't charge more for being green, in fact Green Cabs have one the cheapest fares around. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to go Green.

Does Greencabs accept Taxi charge and Taxi Chits?
Yes, we do

Doesn't the prius run only on petrol out on the open road?
No it can run on just the petrol engine, both the petrol and the electric motor or it will switch completely over to the electric engine whenever you brake or take your foot off the accelerator.

Does Greencabs provide seats for babies and toddlers?
Yes, we do. Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch have car seats available for infants and toddlers. There are 2 in Wgtn & Chch and 1 in Auck. The surcharge for the use of these seats is $15.00