New York mayor to reduce city’s vehicle fleet

New York’s mayor Bill de Blasio has signed an executive order to reduce the city’s on-road public sector vehicle fleet. The move is part of a commitment to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050. The city will remove 1,000 vehicles from its fleet by June 2021 and reduce the number of take-home vehicles by at least 500. Additionally, it will replace at least 350 SUVs with electric plug-in sedans and promote greater vehicle efficiency by using advanced data collection. “Eliminating unnecessary vehicles fro
April 11, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

New York’s mayor Bill de Blasio has signed an executive order to reduce the city’s on-road public sector vehicle fleet.

The move is part of a commitment to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050.

The city will remove 1,000 vehicles from its fleet by June 2021 and reduce the number of take-home vehicles by at least 500. Additionally, it will replace at least 350 SUVs with electric plug-in sedans and promote greater vehicle efficiency by using advanced data collection.

“Eliminating unnecessary vehicles from our streets and replacing gas-guzzling SUVs with electric cars will bring us one step closer to our carbon emission reduction goals, which means a cleaner New York City for all,” he said.

With the order, the city estimates 10 million fewer miles will be driven by vehicles each year, resulting in reduced congestion and cutting fuel consumption by 500,000 gallons and decreasing annual emissions by 6,300 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The city will review every agency’s fleet to ensure the vehicles are being used efficiently and will reduce the fleet size as needed, it says.

Lisette Camilo, commissioner of the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), says: “To support Mayor de Blasio’s vision for a cleaner and safer New York, we are using new technology to right-size the city’s fleet and to more efficiently use the cars we do need.”

The DCAS will review every take-home car in the fleet and use vehicle data to identify usage patterns. Those which are underused will be re-assigned to the agency’s fleet pool, which can be used by multiple employees.

The move builds on the mayor’s commitment to establish a more green and carbon-neutral fleet:


•    The City now operates over 1,750 on-road electric vehicles, the largest network for any municipal government.
•    It operates a network of 568 electric vehicle charging stations, including the largest network of solar-powered vehicle chargers, with 65 in use.
•    Last year New York began using renewable diesel, a 99% petroleum-free diesel alternative made of organic material.
•    Light-duty fleet vehicles have achieved an average fuel economy equivalent of 100 miles per gallon (MPG).
•    The city has also ordered its first 190 hybrid pursuit-rated police vehicles.

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • Scoot deploys electric scooters and bikes in Barcelona
    June 1, 2018
    Scoot Networks has deployed a fleet of 500 electric scooters and 1,000 electric bicycles in Barcelona to provide travellers with more sustainable mobility options. The scooter-share company also collaborated with city officials to develop permits to make the vehicles safe for users. Scoot’s scooters were developed in collaboration with Spanish manufacturer Silence: they come with an extended battery range and can carry two passengers. Users can access the service through Scoot's iOS and Android app. The
    Read More
  • RAC report - motorists frustrated with road taxes
    June 13, 2013
    According to the RAC’s 2013 Report on Motoring, the condition of the UK’s motorways and local roads, characterised by the now year-round problem of potholes, ranks as a top concern for motorists. While the cost of driving is understandably still the number one concern for nearly half (46 per cent) of Britain’s motorists, two in five (41 per cent) say maintenance of local roads and motorways is their top spending priority. In addition, 84 per cent of motorists believe their local roads are deteriorating and
    Read More
  • LA retires last diesel bus
    May 18, 2012
    Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) has retired the last diesel bus in its fleet, becoming the world's first major transit agency to operate only clean fuel buses - nearly 100 per cent of which operate on compressed natural gas (CNG). According to Metro, compared with diesel buses, its CNG fleet reduces cancer-causing particulate matter by more than 80 per cent. And, because of the switch from diesel to CNG, Metro avoids emitting nearly 300,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per da
    Read More
  • American Traffic Solutions
    March 16, 2012
    The City of Edmonton in the Alberta province of western Canada has a system in place which American Traffic Solutions (ATS) believes exemplifies how a road safety camera programme should be operated. Edmonton’s programme began in September 1999 with six cameras rotating through 12 locations. Nearly 10 years later, at the beginning of 2009, provincial legislation was passed allowing police agencies in Alberta to use road safety cameras to enforce both red light and speed infractions.
    Read More

Highlighted Content