Munich. A green sticker, labelled "Eco Taxi", should make low-emission taxis, with hybrid or natural gas technology, identifiable at first glance. The pilot project runs in Munich.

ADAC together with mayor Christian Ude, has given the go-ahead for the environmental project. "Ecology-minded customers can now choose to join the queue of eco-friendly taxis and actively support environmental protection", says August Markl, chairman of ADAC.

The vehicles exhaust emission and CO2 output is stated on the seal. Eco Taxis cost the same as normal Taxis and the seal is free for taxi drivers.

"We want to show alternatives", explains Markl. The bottom line is that the CO2 output of a taxi with alternative techonolgy is reduced by half. On a 10km long journey, 2 kilometres of carbon dioxide can be saved. Over a year about 9 tons of the green house gas could be reduced in emissions per car.

The project is still in its early stages: only 4 cars were labelled with the seal on monday. Another handful applied for the certification within the next days, says project leader Florian Hördegen.

He assumes that only a few of Munichs 3400 Taxis will have the title "Eco Taxi" in the beginning. The requirements are high: The vehicle must be almost free of particulate matter or nitrogen oxides and is only allowed to emit a maximum of 140 gram of carbon monoxide per kilometre.

The Eco Taxi can be ordered via phone. Though the possibility that one of the taxis is immediately available is small but the ADAC hopes for a lot of orders nevertheless. Because every request is an incentive for the employer to get more Eco Taxis.