Cleaner Greener China: Clean Technology, Green Products, New Ideas, Clean China

To encourage the purchase of hybrid vehicles in 11 cities, the Ministry of Finance has recently announced a subsidy program aimed at taxi, bus, and other transport companies:

The government promised to give companies and institutions, which purchase and use such vehicles, lump sum subsidies to offset their extra cost on fueling efficient cars than ordinary ones.

Meanwhile, the central government urged local governments to subsidize the development and maintenance of energy-friendly cars.

Like the ban of plastic bags in June of 2007, I view this as a great step… that could be improved by a mandate that all new public vhicle purchases must be hybrid starting in 2009.