In a bid to cut costs and get front-of-the-line privileges at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the biggest taxi company in North Texas plans to convert nearly all of its company-owned cabs from gasoline to compressed natural gas, investing more than USD 8 million in conversion costs. Yellow Cab President Jack Bewley believes the change will ultimately lower expenses, in large part because compressed natural gas runs about $1.99 a gallon compared to $2.60 for a gallon of regular gasoline.
“It’s a major initiative,” Bewley said, adding that the company sees improved stability of natural gas prices over gasoline in the long run. The company has 10 natural gas-powered vehicles on the road at the moment and orders for another 50, he added in a Dallas Business Journal report.
The change to CNG will enable Yellow Cabs to take advantage of a program that D/FW Airport implemented late last year, allowing taxis fueled by natural gas to jump to the front of the line for fares.
As with other cab companies, Yellow’s drivers are independent contractors, and company cabbies who own their vehicles will decide whether to convert them to compressed natural gas. “It will be up to them,” Bewley said. Yellow is paying for the conversions to compressed natural gas in-house. As many as 500 taxis could be converted at a cost of $10,000 to $15,000 per cab, he added.
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