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'Green' rental cars zip from Hollywood to NY

BY FARNOOSH TORABI | SPECIAL TO amNEWYORK

May 1, 2006

The Toyota Prius hybrid cars of the OZOcar fleet sit in their lot in Long Island City. Satellite radio, as well as wireless internet access, are standard. (Photo by Jefferson Siegel / April 30, 2006)

What began as a gimmick to spread environmental awareness with Hollywood stars is now a New York City business that's making some green of its own.

Since its launch last October, Ozocar, an ecofriendly car service, has increased its fleet of hybrid vehicles to about 90 -- and it has plans to add 12 to 15 additional hybrids each month.

Sales were up 30% in March versus the previous month, with business stemming from people looking for a ride to the airport to corporate clients from Goldman Sachs and Sony Music who were trying to set a green example.

Founders Jordan Harris and Roo Rogers first toyed with the idea of a fuel-efficient car service in the spring of 2003, when the beginning of the Iraq war was stirring concerns about the global oil supply.

It was also Hollywood awards season, when eyes are trained on movie stars. Harris and Roo, both devout environmentalists, seized the moment by marketing "green cars to the red carpet."

It was an easy sell. A-listers like Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robin Williams agreed to be chauffeured to and from the Academy Awards and other televised events in Toyota Priuses.

"I just thought it would make the right statement using these celebrity role models to show we need to be responsible about fuel and emissions," Harris said. "So many celebrities would say to me, 'I wish we could use these cars every day.'"

Two years later, Harris and Rogers launched Ozocar in New York City, which, they've noted, has some of the unhealthiest air and the highest asthma mortality rate in the country.

"We've taken an existing market where there's more demand and not reinvented it, but modernized it and gave it a fresh approach," Harris said.

New York also has some 20,000 livery or black cars and 12,000-licensed medallion cabs, many with big V8 engines, traveling at low speeds. Harris said Ozocar's vehicles use 70% less fuel and emit 67% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the traditional cabs.

Ozocar also tried to make the ride itself stand out for its customers. It equipped each vehicle with high-speed wireless Internet, satellite radio and a row of plugs for recharging cell phones or hooking up laptops.

"Our goal is to prove that style and sustainability aren't at odds," Harris said. "It's not about compromise."

Ozocar's rates are comparable to those of average car services. A ride from Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport, for example, runs about $50, including tolls. To Kennedy Airport, it's $65. Ozocar also takes passengers to the Hamptons, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.

Harris and Roo now plan to take their business abroad; Ozocar will make its European debut in London in September.

Farnoosh Torabi is the business producer at NY1 News. If you know an interesting small business, please e-mail Torabi at amSmallBusiness[at]gmail.com.