Berkeley to Buy Hybrid Cars

Berkeley City Council members have voted to authorize the purchase of new hybrid cars to update the city’s sedan fleet, reports the Daily Californian.

The city manager will purchase six Toyota Prius hybrids to replace older vehicles in the city fleet. The cars are used for several purposes, including transporting officials to meetings, work sites and other city-related events.

The six new hybrids, which are being purchased exclusively for the city’s use, will provide replacement vehicles for the public works and police departments and the housing authority. Currently, city employees use hybrid cars recently bought for the nonprofit City CarShare, a regional program which also allows individuals to share cars during nights and weekends.

“The (hybrid cars) get more use that way. It allows people who don’t have a car to use one occasionally,” said Council member Gordon Wozniak.