As he drives toward his first call of the night, eco-friendly taxi driver Mike Shaver shares some environmental expertise:
“A lot of those other cabs you see out there are old police cars. That’s a 5.4 liter V8. I used to drive a V8 — my Chevy Caprice — and that got something like five miles a gallon,” explains Shaver, the newest driver for local eco-friendly car service The Green Chauffeur, in the company’s newest ride, a 2008 Toyota Prius.
“It’s not real economical to drive and it’s definitely not good for the environment, that’s for sure. You’re using $20 in gas just driving from one side of town to the other, and then think of all the damage you’re doing in between.”
Just like the pair of 20-year-olds that launched The Green Chauffeur last fall, Shaver, 21, knows all about carbon emissions and the broader points of gasoline economics. None of them have ever purchased a gallon of gas for less than $1.70 and have scarcely seen a gallon under $2. In high school, Shaver wrote reports about hybrid cars (they’ve been on the road longer than he has) and how the energy efficient imports would change the automotive industry.
“It’s something you almost have to think about” he says. “With prices at $3.10 a gallon, you can’t not think about gas mileage. You might be trying to be more economical, but you’re also being nicer to the environment.”
Less in tank, more in pocket
Like most hybrid owners, Stephen Knight was attracted to his 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid for a mix of environmental and economic motives. He likes not paying a king’s ransom for a tank of gas and he enjoys doing his part for the planet. When he took a job as a cabbie at one of the local taxi companies shortly after being discharged from the U.S. Navy last year, he quickly saw an opportunity for the same benefits on a larger scale.
“I was driving my hybrid to work and then driving a beat-up Dodge Caravan for 12 hours a day,” Knight recalls. “I wasn’t making any money because it was all going into the gas tank. It didn’t make sense to me that I wasn’t driving my hybrid.”
Knight was also working at a local Denny’s restaurant along with his now partner Zack Burkum. Two weeks into the cabbie gig, Knight suggested an idea to Burkum one morning over a Grand Slam breakfast. Knight had made $14 on a 12-hour taxi shift the night before, and knew that he could have easily tripled those earnings if he had been driving his hybrid. He knew people would prefer to ride in his newer, cleaner, quieter car than a worn-around-the-edges taxi cab. He knew better pay would attract friendlier, more professional drivers. And he knew there would be intrinsic value in being the region’s only “green” car company.
“It was an interesting opportunity,” Burkum says. “We thought people must be looking for a better ride.”
Within a week the duo had incorporated The Green Chauffeur and filed with the state for a limousine license. They had insurance and stenciled their brand name on the sides of Knight’s Honda. Burkum’s grandfather helped get the business started with a personal loan and the company eventually established a small dispatch office in Grandville.
The Green Chauffeur is as much a social and economic story as an environmental one. Taxi driving is a hard and occasionally exploitive trade. Most companies charge drivers a fixed fee of $80 to $100 for a 12-hour shift. The drivers pay for gas and keep whatever is left over at the end of the day. If it’s a particularly slow shift, or a fare or two skips out on the tab, a driver could lose money.
The Green Chauffeur drivers are charged per mile driven. The company pays for gas which, at 39 miles per gallon, Knight and Burkum are happy to do.
“If we’re not busy it’s the company’s fault,” Knight say. “If we’re not doing something right, we don’t want our drivers paying for it.”
Different Shades of Green
Now in its sixth month, The Green Chauffeur has seen some early success. It now boasts a fleet of four cars, a dozen drivers, and a steady stream of returning customers. The company has been profiled on WZZM-TV Channel 13, on Michigan Public Radio, and in The Grand Rapids Press. Several hotels, bars and local corporations have taken to calling The Green Chauffeur over regular taxi companies.
“Everyone is looking for more ways to go green,” Knight says. “So they’ll call a green limousine.”
But, as Burkum explains, most customers find the qualities green business enables more important than the environmental story itself.
“I wish I could say that our environmental conscience has been the biggest reason people call us,” he says. “But it isn’t. People just want a better ride.”
At $2.75 per mile and a $3 hiring fee, The Green Chauffeur is more expensive than a taxi ride but more affordable than a limousine or executive car service. All of the vehicles are later models – the new Prius boasts only 2,000 miles – while most taxis are used vehicles bought at auction and kept on the road until the wheels fall off. Many are repurposed police cruisers, which aren’t known for comfortable back seats.
“You don’t feel like you’re captive in the back seat,” says passenger Heather Recker. “You don’t feel nasty sitting in a dirty car. You don’t have a scary driver.”
“And this is a good choice to pick because you’re contributing to the environment,” says another rider, Audra Hoezee.
Recker and Hoezee had called The Green Chauffeur as a designated driver for a Friday night out. Individuals that might not normally feel comfortable calling a cab have no qualms about The Green Chauffeur. During the day, it’s common for business people (some of whom have lost their ability to drive for the same reasons Recker and Hoezee were trying to avoid) to use the service for hours on end.
“A lot of people care about green,” says Nick Shaver. “But most people are just looking for a nicer, cleaner, safer ride. They know they’re never going to get Jack the Ripper when they call us. We’re never going to take the long way or drive around in circles.”
For the immediate future, The Green Chauffeur is the only eco-friendly car service in town. Metro Cars, the largest executive car service in the area, has committed to rolling out an alternative fuels program on the national level, but has yet to do so in West Michigan.
“It’s only a matter of time,” Shaver says. “When we start picking up numbers and taking more fares from them, then you’ll see them change their minds.”
Daniel Schoonmaker is a freelance journalist and a copywriter for Alexander Marketing Services in Grand Rapids. He is currently studying for accreditation as a green building professional through the U.S. Green Building Council.
Photos:
Toyota Prius' are in the fleet
Zach Burkum
Stephen Knight
Hybrid vehicle on Ionia Ave. downtown
Stephen Knight and Zach Burkum
Photographs by Brian Kelly - All Rights Reserved