http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/electric-taxis-montreal-taxelco-teo-cabs-fleet-1.3324316 Taxelco Téo, Montreal electric taxi fleet, to start 3-month trial run Company aims to eventually get 2,000 electric cabs on city streets Nov 18, 2015
[images / Stephan Poulin http://i.cbc.ca/1.3324317.1447861302!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/taxelco-teo.jpg An electric version of the Kia Soul will be part of the Montreal's first fully-electric taxi fleet tweets https://twitter.com/TeoMTL/status/667000999417151488 Téo Taxi @TeoMTL #TéoMTL est à la recherche de 500 citoyens de #Montréal prêts à tester le service! RDV au http://www.teomtl.com (French>translate>English # TéoMTL is seeking 500 citizens of # Montreal ready to test the service! Meeting athttp: // www. teomtl.com ) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CUGp36kWUAEGE2t.jpg 7:26 AM - 18 Nov 2015 https://twitter.com/Sologlobe/status/667011521893941248 Sologlobe @Sologlobe Lots of excitement as our new neighbors launch their eco friendly taxi service @TeoMTL Bienvenue dans le quartier! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CUGzcH_WwAAsrpV.jpg 8:08 AM - 18 Nov 2015 https://twitter.com/benoitdorais/status/667000254886223876 Benoit Dorais @benoitdorais La flotte de 50 taxis #TeoMTL comprendra notamment des @TeslaMotors (The fleet of 50 taxis #TeoMTL includes theTeslaMotors) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CUGpMHUWwAExoZ-.jpg 7:23 AM - 18 Nov 2015 ] The city's first fully-electric taxi fleet is looking for 500 volunteers to put its service to the test when its 50 cabs hit the streets next Thursday in Montreal. Taxelco aims to eventually get 2,000 fully-electric vehicles rolling, but will start with a three-month pilot project of the service, called Téo, beginning Nov. 26. The company announced more details of the app-based taxi service at news conference Wednesday morning, revealing its plan to pay drivers $15 per hour with benefits. The project was proposed by entrepreneur Alexandre Taillefer during the Je Vois Montreal project, which solicited pitches to improve the city last year. The company describes its service as "a completely renewed user experience, while helping to reduce greenhouse gases." The fleet will be comprised of a number of different car models, including many Teslas. Those interested in volunteering as a guinea pig for for the fledgling fleet are invited to alert them through their website. [© cbc.ca] http://business.financialpost.com/news/already-stung-by-uberx-traditional-cabs-may-face-new-challenge-with-teo-canadas-first-electric-taxi-fleet Already stung by UberX, traditional cabs may face new challenge with Téo — Canada’s first electric taxi fleet November 18, 2015 Damon van der Linde [images / Phil Carpenter/Postmedia News http://wpmedia.business.financialpost.com/2015/11/teo-taxi.jpg Taxi drivers with a fleet of electric car taxis to be operated by the company, Téo, in Montreal, Wednesday November 18, 2015 http://wpmedia.business.financialpost.com/2015/11/teo-taxi1.jpg An interactive screen to be used in a fleet of electric car taxis operated by of the company Téo, in Montreal ] MONTREAL — Canada’s first electric taxi service will be out on the streets of Montreal next week, though some worry this green innovation may only add to the struggles for traditional cab owners already hit hard by the UberX car-sharing app. Montreal entrepreneur and investor Alexandre Taillefer presented the new company, called Téo, on Wednesday morning at the company’s garage, where he unveiled a fleet of dozens of new green and white electric cars in front of mayor Denis Coderre and representatives from Hydro-Québec and Vidéotron. The company will begin testing the service next week with 500 volunteer riders before it becomes available to everyone in Montreal in March 2016. “I’m not worried about Uber at all because we’re very confident we’re going to provide Montrealers an experience that’s way better than what a company that provides solely software can do,” Taillefer said. “I think the consumer has to vote with its wallet.” The service will first launch just 50 cars, but Taillefer plans to have 1,000 cabs by 2017 and 2,000 cabs by 2019. Since the entire island of Montreal allows only 4,522 taxi permits, that could make up nearly half of all cabs on the road. A collaboration with Vidéotron means passengers will also be able to charge their phones in the cars, get free Wi-Fi and search information through interactive screens. Taillefer said he’ll save about $15,000 per car on gas costs alone and will often cost riders less through the use of fixed rates instead of a meter system. Téo taxi driver Lam Aouni will also be making his living a different way than at his gigs with other companies. Instead of competing for fares with other drivers, he will receive a salary complete with benefits and vacation time. “With what the taxi industry has to give us drivers right now, I prefer this,” Aouni said. “It will certainly be more competitive because the cars are solid, silent, comfortable and good looking, so the clients are going to adore it.” Not everyone is pleased with the venture. Standing alone outside the Téo parking lot gates, taxi owner Hassan Kattoua wears a cowboy sheriff’s hat and holds a sign saying telling Taillefer to “Enter by the door, not by the window.” Taillefer was only able to launch the company after receiving permission a year ago from the Quebec government to rent taxi permits and use them for individual cars. Kattoua argues that Taillefer is taking advantage of the industry’s UberX-fuelled decline by renting large numbers of permits from desperate owners at a discount price of less than $300 per week, less than the usual rental of about $440. “For the users and for the taxi drivers it’s a good thing, but for the taxi owners it’s a very bad thing if it became a monopoly because no one else is going to buy our permits afterwords,” Kattoua said. Kattoua instead wants Quebec’s transport minster to ban the UberX car sharing service before new entrants like Téo come into the market. “The permit itself is our retirement fund and we are losing money every day by the presence of UberX,” he said. “Stop UberX now, then Mr. Taillefer can buy or rent the permits when the owner is really not obliged to sell.” Taillefer said his company XPND Capital, as well as Claridge Investment Ltd., and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec are investing roughly $250 million in the company. This investment has gone towards building charging stations, building digital systems and buying the cars, which retail at just over $31,000 for the Nissan Leaf to more than $100,000 for the Tesla models. This is the first all-electric taxi network in Canada, though they have been adopted in Portland, Oslo, London and Shenzhen. Queen’s University business professor John-Kurt Pliniussen says that these electric services are working in other cities, but for all the perks they still must provide the best service to the customer if they are going to thrive. “(For the environmental benefits,) I don’t think consumers care,” he said. “All we care about is filling our need: quick, reliable service with a friendly attendant at a reasonable price — but it’s quick first…. That’s the most important, especially in bad weather like Montreal winters.” [© financialpost.com] http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/electric-taxi-service-unveiled-in-monteral Electric taxi service unveiled in Montreal November 18, 2015 Jason Magder [video flash] An interactive screen to be used in a fleet of electric car taxis operated by of the company Téo, in Montreal, Wednesday November 18, 2015 ... ... http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/11/23/teo-electric-taxi-montreal-tesla_n_8633320.html Téo Electric Taxi Service To Launch In Montreal, And Some Cars Will Be Teslas 11/23/2015 Daniel Tencer For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Montreal-ca-s-Taxelco-Teo-Electric-taxi-fleet-3mo-trial-v-tp4678839.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
