Business Opportunities Weblog

March 9, 2011 by Angela Shupe | 1 Comment

Michael DiGonis believes that he has invented the taxi of the future. It is a hybrid vehicle with a recyclable cabin, and it is wheelchair friendly. While many traditional taxis may not be able to provide wheelchair accessibility for their patrons, his taxi will make sure they can receive the door-to-door service they deserve, reports Poughkeepsie Journal.

And, he said, his fuel-saving technology that kicks in when the vehicle is stopped at red lights, for example, could save taxi companies thousands of dollars per year, not to mention cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

The only problem: To generate enough sales to begin manufacturing, DiGonis’ company, MetroKing, needs the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.

In the past decade, MetroKing has patented, trademarked, engineered, produced and tested the handicapped-accessible taxi. It has fleets in the field that have traveled more than 500,000 miles, including several used by locally operated A-1 Transportation, which now operates a dispatch facility out of MetroKing’s factory.

The taxi design includes a custom-modified chassis and General Motors front end, all for around $40,000, DiGonis said. The Bronx resident said he can “push a button and start making cars.” The problem is he can’t push that button because the New York City taxi authority won’t permit new taxis to come into service until they decide on the “taxi of the future,” DiGonis said.

Photo from MetroKing

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Tags: Innovation, Travel