Is a hybrid car really worth the investment? A group of Victoria cab drivers were asked to share their views on driving hybrid cars, and their responses surprised many people.
Rakesh Kohli was the first person at Blue Bird Taxis in Victoria to buy a Prius in 2004. Now, 98% of the fleet are hybrid vehicles, and Kohli’s first car from 2004 has over 1.1 million kilometres and the original battery – and he’s still driving it.
When Rakesh’s coworker Amit Arya bought his Prius at the end of 2004, people made fun of him. “People would say, whoah! We ordered a cab, not an alien ship!” But in just two and a half years, Amit paid off his car loan – two years earlier than originally planned – by using the money he saved in gas. On average, the hybrid cab does about 700 kilometres for $35.
But the savings aren’t just at the pump. Rakesh says, “with the other cars, we used to change the brake pads every 25,000-26,000 kilometres. So that’s about every three months. With this car, the first time I changed the break pads, it was at 265,000 kilometres. That’s about three years.” 
Veteren cabbie Robert Rogers adds, “at 700,000 kilometres, it operates the same as when I bought it.”
 Learn more about driving a hybrid car. Every time you get into a cab, #AskACabbie about their hybrid car experience. Share your conversation on Twitter with #AskACabbie and find out more about Toyota Prius cars at  www.hybridland.org.