Hybrid drivers, including cabbies, get Logan perks

Hybrid vehicle owners will soon get preferred parking, and fuel-efficient taxis will get front-of-the-line privileges at Logan International Airport, the state's first nonfinancial perks to boost the use of alternative-fuel vehicles.

"This is about the future. It's about our kids and our grandkids. It's about the air we breathe," said Mayor Thomas. M. Menino, who announced the incentive program yesterday in conjunction with the Massachusetts Port Authority.

Beginning May 1, about 100 parking spaces marked by green and white stripes will be reserved for hybrid cars at Logan's central, Terminal B, Terminal E, and economy parking lots.

Hybrid taxis will also be able to cut to the front of the line at every terminal. Because cabs must wait in the queue as long as 30 to 60 minutes, that perk could mean two additional $25 fares per shift, officials said. In addition, a hybrid cab can save $30 per day in fuel costs and less time spent filling up.

City officials yesterday also announced a $25,000 grant program to encourage cab companies and independent drivers to make the switch to the more expensive hybrid cars. Each company will probably be limited to one grant for a new hybrid vehicle.

Cab companies typically buy two-year-old Ford Crown Victorias for about $10,000 each. A new hybrid vehicle goes for $23,000 to $30,000.

"The market demand is so high for them that you have to basically buy new," said James W. Hunt, chief of environment and energy for the city of Boston. "So we allowed some flexibility in our hackney regulations to do that."

The majority of the 13 hybrid cabs now on the road in Boston are now rented to drivers, who are charged more by the car's owners. "A driver is actually picking up a portion of the gasoline savings, because he pays for the gas, and he's kicking back a piece of that to the owner to pay for the car," said Mark Cohen, head of Boston's Hackney Division, which regulates the city's 1,800 cabs.

The program started with a single cab last September, but the new grants are expected to add more hybrid cabs.

Some passengers bypass traditional cabs for a hybrid, marked with green stripes on the back door.

"They all like it," said Festus Igharo, 41, of Hyde Park, who has been driving a 40-mile -per-gallon Toyota Prius cab for the Boston Cab Company the past eight months. "They wish all cabs in Boston are like this."

Hybrid vehicles are also eligible for a federal tax credit, which ranged from $250 to more than $3,000 last year, depending on the model driven. Massachusetts offered a credit on 2006 state taxes. Hybrid owners have been pushing for perks such as access to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority's carpool lanes, but have met with resistance.

Mac Daniel can be reached at mdaniel@globe.com.