Increasing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) infrastructure across the San Francisco region will make traveling in taxi-cabs faster, more fuel efficient, and better for the environment. A plan to increase the capacity of existing CNG refueling facilities and build other stations in the area means Yellow Cab Cooperative, San Francisco’s largest taxicab operator, can add to their already robust 100-cab CNG fleet. San Francisco joins other major U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., in using this clean, American fuel.
Hal Mellegard, Yellow Cab Cooperative’s General Manager understands the benefits, saying: “Our CNG taxis provide good benefits, including lower-cost fuel and access to the HOV/carpool lanes on local freeways, which the clean, green performance allows. The newly increased capacity of the Mississippi Street Clean Energy station and the several other CNG stations in the area will provide the support we need as we accelerate our program of replacing gasoline-powered taxis with a combination of cleaner burning hybrids and CNG models.”
Every year the Yellow Cab Co-Op uses more than 350,000 gallons of CNG. Most cabs return for fill-ups twice a day. The new station, equipped to dispense 1,000 gallons of fuel per hour, is the largest U.S. CNG taxi station of its kind.
Fleets of CNG taxis are carrying passengers in cities from the Bay Area to Boston. The Boston Public Health Commission permits their CleanAir CABS to use the “short job” line at Logan Airport’s taxi queuing facility, saving drivers about a one-hour wait. Additionally, operators of clean air taxis qualify to use their vehicle for up to six years, as long as the vehicle continues to pass standard service inspections.
A recent Parade Magazine article highlighted the benefits of Natural Gas. Natural gas vehicles emit 95 percent less smog-causing pollutants and 30 percent less greenhouse gases than gasoline. Independent researchers found that purchasing a gallon of natural gas will save consumers about one-third over purchasing a gallon of gasoline. Domestic reserves of natural gas are estimated to be about twice that of petroleum. When used instead of gasoline, natural gas lessens our reliance on foreign oil while cleaning the environment.
San Francisco and Boston are just a few examples of communities across the nation adopting natural gas in their taxi fleets. Other municipalities rely on natural gas to fuel their local government vehicles. Long Beach, California’s use of natural gas in their trash trucks and street sweepers helped them earn the “No. 1 Government Green Fleet in North America” award from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Long Beach Press-Telegram noted the city’s commitment to saving money on fuel and protecting the environment through the use of natural gas vehicles dates back to 1970. The federal government has also adopted this fuel alternative in some of their fleet vehicles. Increasing the availability of natural gas service stations is an important step towards moving America into an era of energy independence.
