NEW YORK — The New York City Council passed, by a 50-to-0 vote, the Clean Air Taxis Act, which allows for the use of energy-efficient SUV hybrids as a standard vehicle for taxis, according to www.forbes.com/. Clean Air Taxis Act coalition members included the American Lung Association of the City of New York, the National Resources Defense Council, the New York League of Conservation Vot-ers, and the Sierra Club. The bill will now be considered by Mayor Bloomberg. Prior to the vote, there was some contention about implementing the hybrids due to limited leg-room. The standard New York taxi has 10 inches of additional legroom compared to the hybrid. But citizen polls put that fear to rest, as taxi riders said they had few reservations about the possible change. Running on a combination of gasoline and electricity, the hybrids get double the gas mileage of traditional taxis and pollute far less. The city’s current fleet consists of 12,760 yellow cabs. Previously, New York City’s taxi commission persuaded about 180 cabbies to switch to natural gas cars. But in 2000 the campaign was all but abandoned after drivers complained there were not enough fueling stations.