San Francisco, May 18, 2006
AAA of Northern California's fleet of company-owned vehicles is going green. The company announced today it will be swapping out its entire fleet of 400 vehicles with hybrids.
The organization will be purchasing about 250 hybrid vehicles in 2006. The remaining 150 cars will be replaced over the next two years. The company has selected the Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape hybrid as their fleet vehicles. The cars are used primarily by insurance employees whose job requires the use of a vehicle.
The decision to convert the fleet to hybrids is part of the AAA Greenlight™ Initiative, a new program to promote the development and understanding of new automotive fuels and fuel-related technologies. More information about the Greenlight Initiative can be found at www.aaa.com/greenlight.
"We're the organization that reports the gasoline prices and we're the advocates for the motorist, so we're doing what's environmentally correct," said Mike Bregante, senior vice president of automotive services for AAA.
AAA made the decision to switch to hybrids after an exhaustive analysis confirmed that a move to hybrid vehicles will save the organization money in the long run.
"We would have done this anyway, but that's just icing on the cake," Bregante said. The hybrids are 2006 models. Most of the vehicles are white and will display the AAA logo on the side. AAA is buying many of the vehicles through the company's Vehicle Purchasing Service, which eliminates the headache of car-buying by prearranging haggle-free prices with hundreds of dealers. AAA's Vehicle Purchasing Service is a benefit for AAA members. More information can be found at www.aaa.com.
AAA of Northern California offers a wide array of automotive, travel, insurance and financial services to more than 4 million members. AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers since it was founded more than 100 years ago.
