The life of a jetsetter, business traveler, or globetrotter can be exciting and fast-paced, but also un-green, as even a short flight spews an awful amount of carbon into the atmosphere. But now at least your trips to and from the airport can be more eco-friendly, with PlanetTran’s hybrid car service operating in Boston and now in the San Francisco Bay Area. I had the pleasure of enlisting their services yesterday, riding to the Oakland airport in all the style and comfort of a Toyota Prius. The service is a great option for corporate and business travelers who want the convenience of a cab and the luxury of a limo or towncar (pricing is somewhere in the middle as well). PlanetTran also boasts wonderful customer service, a user-friendly online booking service, and even wireless internet in their fleet of Priuses.
Hey, that’s pretty cool. I’m visualising an eco-minded businessman walking out of the terminal, right past the big gas-guzzlers, and hopping into a modest Prius instead. It’s a small step for man, but…
Some have recently calculated that the Prius is now paying for itself financially, and not just environmentally. In other words, it’s ‘making cents‘ over the course of its life. There’s a lot happening at the moment in the hybrid market, and many believe a shift to PHEVs (plug in hybrid electric vehicle) is going to be the best bet in the short to medium term. See here, and here.
I hate to rain on that particular parade, but as an admirer of all things smart and eco, but also as a car geek, I can’t help feeling the need to point out that a Prius is non of the above. Granted it is less devistating to earth’s resources than a hummer, but so is a Volvo.
Having driven a hired one myself I speak from experience when I say that my Golf diesel was more economical, practical and sustainable (as in, more recyclable), plus it drove and looked slightly less bad. It is as fuel efficient as you allow it to be – which goes for most cars. IMHO, it’s a hype.
Drive a compact or small car and be just as eco for less money by avoiding to use the brakes too often. Or better yet convince your local politician to push for a hydrogen economy.
Hope this catches on in the rest of the country. It’s a pretty good idea to offer eco-friendly cars to travelers, and hopefully their fleet won’t just be limited to the Prius.