Nice bonus about getting rid of your car: The money you’ll save will let you take a taxi or get a rental whenever you need it. Of course, you’ll likely still wanna keep your ride as eco as possible — so here’s a guide:
Eco-friendly taxi services
There’s something about green taxi service that hearts Santa Monica — because the only two I know of only pick up from Santa Monica — though they’ll deliver you wherever you need to go, more or less. For regular LA-area cab prices, try:
>> Eurotaxi. Picks you up in Santa Monica in biodiesel or CNG cabs. While this is the company I usually call (right), Eurotaxi’s whole fleet isn’t greened — so make sure you request an eco-friendly option. 310.828.4200.
>> Taxi! Taxi!. Picks you up in Santa Monica in biodiesel or hybrid cabs. 310.828.2233.
Novelty rides
>> Solar Gondola. This Venice dude’ll move you around Venice and Santa Monica in his solar-powered ride. Rates start at $60 an hour. 310.633.4224.
Luxury rides
EcoLimo, EcoNation, Evo Limo, FlexLimo, and TZR.LA will all give you rides in hybrid and alt fuel limos and SUVs.
Rentals
>> Zipcar. If you live at or near USC or UCLA, consider becoming a member of this carshare program to take advantage of hassle-free, per-hour car rentals.
>> EV Rental Near LAX? Then rent an eco-car from this green company at competitive rates.
>> Avis and Hertz offer hybrids at most LA-area locations — but friends tell me that asking for these eco options make your rental price spike! Finding a nearby rental spot you can walk or bike to — then hypermiling — may be both more eco and economically-viable than demanding a slightly more fuel efficient hybrid.
Happy riding! Bio-Beetle no longer serves L.A., BTW. Some of this info was compiled with the help of Greenopia.
Update, 6/8/09: Green and easy airport travel in Los Angeles
Hey Siel, Enterprise just announced a car sharing service too. Here’s the press release in PDF. http://aboutus.enterprise.com/file/171/Downtown_WeCar_Feb08.pdf
Comment by mk — October 7, 2008 @ 9:39 am
sorry! wrong release. here’s the one about going nationwide with the car sharing program, WeCar. (also in PDF)
http://aboutus.enterprise.com/file/198/WeCar_national_FINAL_Sept08.pdf
Comment by mk — October 7, 2008 @ 9:45 am
Here is another green car service in Los Angeles. They offer all hybrid suv’s. :) http://www.greensuv.com
Comment by Alisa Bark — December 2, 2008 @ 4:43 pm
When you write about Eco-friendly taxi service in santa monica you have to mention Metro Cab. They have the largest fleet of toyota hybrid taxis both camry & prius in santa monica.
Comment by fuad — March 12, 2010 @ 6:31 pm