The Detroit News - Ford Motor Co. says its Transit Connect small van has begun work as a New York City taxi.
The first of the vans began hauling passengers late Tuesday. New York taxi companies have ordered more than 400 of the vans.
The city's Taxi and Limousine Commission approved the van for taxi use for the next two years as it phases out the familiar Ford Crown Victoria sedan and switches to more efficient vehicles. The Nissan NV200 van will be the official taxi starting in the fall 2013. Most of the city's 13,200 taxis are Crown Victorias. But Ford is ending production of the model.
