Mexico City, Mar 30 (IANS): Mexico City, one of the most polluted cities in the world, has unveiled a prototype for a "hybrid taxi", which will soon take to the streets and produce 50 per cent less emissions than regular cabs.

During the presentation on Thursday, Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said 50 of these new models would be rolled out in April as part of the first phase, reports Xinhua news agency.

The city government is planning to replace all conventional taxis with these environmentally friendlier options, which will also save up to 60 per cent on fuel.

The government will install electric recharge stations in different neighbourhoods as the programme is progressively rolled out across the Mexican capital.

Mexico City, with almost 22 million residents, has faced almost 100 environmental alerts due to high ozone levels in the past two years.

Since 2016, a new federal norm has tightened the limits for gas emissions on vehicles inside Mexico City and 18 surrounding towns.