Taxi Commission Nixes the Prius – Agrees to Uniform Color “red with a gray stripe along both sides”

Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

NBC Washington reports on this odd ruling:

“In a direct blow to app-based cab services like Uber, the D.C. Taxi Commission Monday approved new regulations that disallow some fuel-efficient vehicles, like Toyota Prius, from operating as sedans.”

From the DC Taxicab Commission:

“The DC Taxicab Commission (DCTC) approved today the adoption of final regulations defining sedan vehicles and the rulemaking concerning the uniform color scheme for taxicabs. The specific regulations regarding sedans are contained in Chapters 12 and 14. The uniform color scheme is covered in Chapters 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9.

The characteristics to define sedan vehicles include: an L Tag; prohibition from accepting street hails; no meter; and specific size and color limits. The uniform color adopted is a red with a gray stripe along both sides to include company name, logo and contact information. The transition to the uniform color will initially occur for equipment replacements due to age, mileage or DMV inspection rejection.”

You can read their full report here.