Taxi Fleets to Appeal New York City’s “Taxi of Tomorrow”

Taxi fleet operators in New York City are taking their challenge of the city's one-model "Taxi of Tomorrow" plan to the state's Court of Appeals.

Operators have fought the 10-year program, which mandates a single vehicle model in the city, since Nissan Motor Co. won the $1 billion contract in 2011. The company's NV200 cab features sliding doors, reading lamps, antibacterial seating surfaces and power ports for personal electronic devices.

Fleet owners blocked the plan last year because it prohibited them from buying hybrid vehicles. They won another injunction a few months later to halt the program entirely after arguing the city's taxi and limousine commission exceeded its authority by mandating a single taxi model.

An appellate court in Manhattan ruled in June that the program is legal. On Wednesday that court authorized operators to appeal its decision to the state's highest bench.