IN 2007 the Labour Government introduced Carbon Credits as a means to reduce the country’s carbon footprint. It was expected that the scheme would see more companies taking a proactive stance on saving the planet.

On 10^th September 2009, the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading) Amendment Bill, and the Electricity (Renewable Preference) Amendment Bill (both formerly known together as the Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill) were passed in Parliament

Taxis Palmerston North understands the importance of a cleaner greener future and has made a positive move toward complying with environmental policies.

In September 2007, at the NZTF taxi conference in Queenstown, our Operations Manager saw a new product that would help towards our greener goal in the form of an LED toplight.

The toplight was a thinner, lighter design with LED strips instead of the usual fluorescent tube lights producing a brighter, clearer and longer lasting illumination.

Seeking out the manufacturer of this new product, our Operations Manager began a design to improve our current look and eco stance within the taxi industry.

Over the next 14 months we worked closely with Peridian lighting to finalise a design that would be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing to the shareholders and customers alike.

Working with the NZTA we were able to run a couple of prototype toplights to gauge the reactions of the public and the members. The first prototype was Peridian’s generic model using blue lighting.  

While we saw mixed reaction, the overall opinion was good and warranted further design to incorporate Taxis Palmerston North’s logo with just a few tasteful changes so as not to lose our well known identity.

The result was embraced by the members and the new toplights were finally installed in the last week of December 2008, setting Taxis Palmerston North up for a new start in 09.

Our new bright LED toplights are now widely recognised around the city and we have received comments from the public about our ‘Stand Out Company Image’ which has set us apart from other companies in the region.

Most of Taxis Palmerston North’s vehicles are LPG dedicated or dual fuel (LPG/Petrol) and those that aren’t are either eco-friendly diesel or looking to eco-friendly options when they next upgrade, with hybrid vehicles being at the forefront of the industries mind.

We realise that these steps are only small in the grand scale of Carbon Neutral NZ but we believe they are still steps in the right direction. In the future we see Taxis Palmerston North taking on a Carbon Zero plan and aiming towards total Carbon Neutrality.

Watch this space for further developments.