West Haven, Connecticut is the next region to be greeted with Ford’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Transit Connect Taxi. Metro Taxi company has purchased 35 new vans which are the first of their kind in the New England area. Coinciding with the Transit arrivals is the opening of an all-new CNG filling station owned by Clean Energy. Bill Scalzi, president of Metro Taxi mentioned that even though the Fords have only been in service for a few weeks, there is already a waiting list of his company’s drivers.
“The CNG Transit Connect Taxis have been a tremendous hit all around,” said Scalzi. “The drivers love the fuel savings that come with CNG along with the overall roominess and the reliability of the Transit Connect taxis.” The Transits are also becoming more liked compared to their car-based counterparts due to the ease of entry. Another benefit is the CNG’s lower fill-up costs: currently a gallon of the alternative fuel goes for around $2. That is much cheaper than the nearly $4 price of gasoline and with the same fuel mileage as a conventional Transit, 22 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway can get a CNG Taxi quite far.
The New England addition comes less than one month after CNG Transit Taxis began servicing California. “I’ve talked to Transit Connect Taxi drivers in places like Orange County and the response to these greener, cleaner vehicles has been phenomenal,” said Gerry Koss, marketing manager of Ford Fleet. “From a driving standpoint, taxi drivers tell me they love the maneuverability and comfort. Passengers are saying they can’t believe how much room and cargo space there is.”
Source: Ford
