Imagine this — the District could have hybrid taxicabs before it even resolves its long-running dispute between meters and the zone system.

Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) yesterday introduced legislation that would offer a one-time tax credit to encourage the purchase of hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles for use as taxicabs. The legislation would also establish a set of goals for converting the city’s taxicab fleet to hybrid vehicles — 5 percent by 2009 and 50 percent by 2017. In a press release Wells stated:

“As we all know, urban jurisdictions across the country are struggling to find ways to limit and reduce the amount of pollution created by vehicles on the streets. A robust taxicab fleet is integral to providing residents, workers, commuters and visitors viable options to move around the city, but with our taxicab fleet comes a lot of pollution — and it is incumbent upon us to do everything we can to demand more fuel-efficiency from those vehicles and create the incentives that help get us to our goals.”

If the legislation passes, it would set the District’s cabs on a course followed by other cities and counties. Just recently Arlington County voted to allow an all-hybrid taxicab company to do business there, while in May New York City announced that it was looking to have an all-hybrid fleet by 2012.

This is a great idea, and one we hope to see implemented in the near future. Of course, if the Taxicab Commission is ever asked for their input, well, we know where that will go — nowhere.