Eco Cabs is an Irish cab service that offers complimentary, emissions free transport around the Dublin city centre.  In exchange for riding in an advert-plastered Flinstone car and hearing a schpiel about the sponsor’s product or service passengers can be taken anywhere within 2km from O’Connell Bridge.  No monetary payment, but you’ll probably want to pick a car advertising a product/service you already like.  Products in particular as there are occassionally free samples (mmm…chocolate…).

The biggest downsides to Eco Cabs are [a] speed and [b] timing.  This isn’t an electric car or even an electric/hydrogen hybrid, it’s a guy on a bike.  Yes, one dude pedling with all his might to get you and your buddy from one end of Dublin to the other.  The service also only runs from 1 April through 31 December and even then not past 7 PM.  So if you’re freezing your drunken arse off after a New Years’ celebration you’ll just have to find another way home.

All in all I think it’s a pretty cool idea, but a bit flawed.  I’d still love to see something similar in DC, even if only for the laugh value.