Some car owners who would be interested in an electric or hybrid gas/electric vehicle have been frustrated by the small number of these cars currently available in California. However, without demonstrated consumer interest, it is difficult for manufacturers to gauge demand, and pressure is building on regulators to back off on state regulations requiring a percentage of new vehicles to be low-emitting or zero-emitting within a few years.
Now car owners can register their interest in having these "clean cars" available on the market by signing a pledge that their next car will meet certain fuel efficiency and air pollution standards. The Clean Car Pledge is part of a campaign by a coalition of environmental and health organizations, which is led by the Union of Concerned Scientists and includes the American Lung Association, CalPIRG, the Coalition for Clean Air, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, and the Planning and Conservation League.
For more information:
Union of Concerned Scientists, 510-843-1872; online,
http://www.cleancarpledge.org
When drivers must give up their cars because of age or medical conditions, many of the trips they no longer take are for shopping or maintaining social ties. Even work-related trips may become difficult to manage, if the only alternatives are expensive taxis or paratransit vans with restrictive schedules. A Portland, Maine, nonprofit provides another answer. Using volunteer drivers to cut the cost, Independent Transportation Network provides a taxi-style ride service to seniors 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Many volunteer drivers use their own cars, but ITN also owns five sedans. The service is supported by charges billed to riders at approximately half the cost of a taxi ride, gift certificates bought for riders by relatives and friends, and local businesses which underwrite a portion of the cost of a ride to the store for their customers.
For more information:
ITN, 207-828-8608; http://www.itninc.org