Town cars - or black taxis as they're also known in New York City - are going to get a makeover and if Mayor Michael Bloomberg has his way they'll start to look a lot greener within the next five years.

Bloomberg has committed to cutting NYC's carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 and as part of this initiative, has created new fuel emissions standards for the cars, which are responsible for approximately two per cent of vehicle-related emissions in the city. The new standards are expected to encourage town car owners to switch over to hybrid vehicles.

This isn't the first time Bloomberg has targeted cab service in the city; last year he announced that by 2012, all yellow taxis in the city would switch to hybrid vehicles.

Good for Michael Bloomberg for taking some initiative and enforcing stricter measures. Maybe other cities will even follow his lead and advocate the use of hybrid technology for cabs and town cars too.

» Reuters Environment