In multiple European cities now I see taxis being allowed to use the bus lane (while of course regular cars are not).

What's the policy justification for this?

Public service vehicles. The more we use the less pollution. Is this not obvious?

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I would say that usually - especially in business hours - regular cars will have single occupants and according to to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average occupancy rate for personal vehicles in the U.S. is about 1.67 passengers per vehicle.

In the uk we tv campaigns that suggest taking buses or taxis/car share to reduce the amount of single person emissions

However the before mentioned article also says “Traditional taxis typically have higher emissions per mile compared to personal vehicles due to lower fuel efficiency and more time spent idling.”

So perhaps I’m completely wrong. I’ve always held the believe that public transport is better for the environment - I could just be brainwashed by the media. 

Now I’m doubting everything.

But taxis are cars and have about as many end-user occupants as regular cars, so it seems like they would pollute as much as any other cars?