Can they charge me a Fuel Surcharge?

So in my taxi back to Onion Station my cabbie was driving a Toyota Hybrid. First time I've really ridden in one to be honest.

Kinda small and on an 88 degree humid day in Chicago, he took the engine efficiency to the extreme by not putting on the Air.

So I chat with him about the Interactive display that he has on his dash. It shows when its burning fuel v when the rechargeable battery is engaged. It also shows estimated miles left in the tank/battery combo as well as his MPG.

Dude was getting 48.7 mpg!! Pretty cool, even if I was sweating and rolled my window down to street-level.

Then it dawned on me that I still had to pay the $1.00 fuel surcharge as authorized by Da' Mayor. SHOULD I really have to pay when the impact is minimized by technology??

I guess the only remaining thought in my head is that he had no dividing glass in his cab. To that end I do fear for his safety down the road.

Thanks Nana Ogundala for the ride. It was informative and damp.