California's first compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered Ford Transit Connect taxis hit the surface streets and freeways of greater Los Angeles last month, leading a Ford spokesperson to remark that taxi owners, drivers and passengers now have a chance to help the environment “one small trip at a time.”
California Yellow Cab of Orange County put its first 10 Transit Connect taxis into service during an event celebrating the increased presence of CNG use in California. Those first 10 are part of an order for 50 units that California Yellow Cab plans to put into service by 2012. In addition, Yellow Cab of Anaheim has ordered 69 units, bringing the number of CNG Transit Connect taxis that will be servicing Southern California to over 100.
“Our goal is to convert our entire fleet to alternative fuels, so bringing the CNG Transit Connect taxis into service is an exciting step in that direction,” said Tim Conlon, president & general manager of California Yellow Cab. “The drivers are excited, too. They have been lining up to be among the first to get behind the wheel of a CNG-powered taxi.”
