When it comes to delivering people, one Bend man believes driving a gasoline-electric hybrid is the way to go.

In just over a year’s time, Bill Calidonna has built up a squad of six employees and a fleet of three Toyota Priuses — or Prii, which is Toyota’s plural form of Prius — for his company Enviro Shuttle.

He’s confident his rates are lower than the competition, thanks to low business overhead and the way the Priuses sip fuel compared to non-hybrid vehicles. A one-way trip from Bend to Redmond Airport costs $30, according to his website, or $55 for a round trip.

And he’s proud to offer vehicles that produce lower carbon dioxide emissions — according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates — than the vehicles some other cab companies use, such as Dodge minivans.

“Since my mom moved us up here in the late ’80s, the influx of people moving here has been huge,” Calidonna wrote in an email. “The air quality has deteriorated. So the goal is to improve air quality around Central Oregon. Just driving down Third Street in the middle of the day, you can’t have the fresh air on, because all you smell is car exhaust.”

In short, he believes his choice of vehicles is good for the environment — and for business.

All-hybrid taxi fleets have started operating in New England and the San Francisco Bay Area. New York City tried, but failed, to impose emissions limits that would have penalized drivers of non-hybrid taxis. Broadway Cab in Portland has replaced some cars in its fleet with Priuses. Calidonna’s company fits in with the trend.

He runs the business from a reclining chair in the living room of his home in southeast Bend.

Opening an office, he said, would be a waste of money. He keeps his lists of bookings in a binder, which he takes wherever he goes, he said.

When he sleeps, his wife, Milinda, answers phone calls. During the day, she’s a driver.

The business gets a boost from corporate accounts, Calidonna said. The Oxford Hotel in downtown Bend is a major client, he said. Foul weather helps, too. On Wednesday, when rain was falling on snow in Bend, customers called Calidonna’s cellphone every few minutes. Redmond Airport was a popular destination among callers.

Calidonna appeared happy to take each call.

“Good afternoon, Enviro Shuttle,” he said each time the phone rang.

He said he’s making considerably more money now than he did when he was a taxi driver based at the airport. And he guarantees weekly payments for his drivers, which he never got.

He’s also making more money than he did delivering pizzas in Bend, he said.

In 2009, to keep his gas expenses low, he bought a blue Prius. A year later, having seen inefficiencies as a cab driver, he starting driving people around in his own business with his personal vehicle, the Prius he calls Old Blue.

One month later, he added a new Prius to the fleet. And in September or October, he bought a third new Prius for the company, he said.

To conserve gas and to give customers a break, Calidonna has started allowing customers to double up with others when they’re coming from or going to the same destination. The price: 50 percent off the regular rate.

While he’s found that customers tend to cling to their privacy, the option is always available. And some people do go for it, according to his reservation list.

While he’s delighted that customers are keen on Enviro Shuttle’s prices and eco-friendly nature, Calidonna would like to lower his company’s emissions further.

“What we want in the end is to be complete zero emission, whether it be a fleet of electric cars powered by solar and wind generators, or hydrogen-powered, or a vehicle that hasn’t been invented yet,” he wrote. “We will continually strive to meet the zero-emission goal to have no impact on the beauty that is the Central Oregon we have come to love.”