The Darthies

This wouldn't be an easy sell, however.

There's a possibility that cab company owners might not be terribly enthusiastic about such a prospect. For one thing, many companies have their own gas pumps, and charge cabbies a few cents a gallon more than the city's cheapest gas stations. Under this system, the more gasoline cabbies consume, the more money gas-selling cab companies make.

"It's a good deal for everyone, except for the people making profits off the gas," Petrasy said. "Unfortunately, that's our bosses, the owners of the cab companies."

Having hundreds of Crown Victorias on the streets also benefits the cab companies because their staff mechanics don't have to learn the ins and outs of myriad vehicles. Having just Crown Victorias also increases cab company profits by allowing them to buy spare parts by the gross.

Mayor Newsom in December announced a plan where cabbies would receive financial incentives for using liquid natural gas. But it's been a wash. LPG units take up lots of valuable taxicab trunk space. And filling up on LPG often requires driving across town. At the 4 a.m. end of a night shift, that's a less-than-enticing prospect.

Petrasy would like to see the city pass a law ending his practice of burning 50 gallons of gas every workweek, by requiring medallion holders to replace Mercury Marquises and Crown Vics with high-mileage hybrids.

Which means Petrasy may not be so villainous after all.

"It's unfortunate that our city, as cutting-edge as we are, as progressive as we are, we're really behind in this area. This is an international city. People come here from all over the planet. People should be coming, getting in a cab, and saying, 'Cool. This is a hybrid.'"