CNG-fueled taxi cabs bumped to front of airport lines
Despite vocal objections from about 200 cab drivers, the Dallas City Council unanimously voted yesterday to allow taxi cabs that run on compressed natural gas the privilege of skipping to the front of taxi queues at the city's Love Field airport.
The move is only the latest in what could become a domino-effect trend at the country's largest airports. Dallas is believed to be the largest city yet to mandate preferential treatment for greener taxi cabs at the city's most lucrative venue.
The new rules in Dallas will allow the driver of a CNG taxi to jump to the front of a taxi line at the airport several times per day - a desirable location for drivers because of high fares and regular service. Drivers of CNG taxis will spend less time waiting and more time collecting fares.
Designed to improve air quality, the program follows in the footsteps of San Francisco, which led the charge in 2005 by granting CNG taxi drivers the right to skip to the front of the line once during their shift at San Francisco International Airport. Similar programs exist at Boston's Logan International Airport, San Jose's Mineta Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (which is located outside of the city limits).
"Let's move forward in a way that provides an incentive that doesn't have a cost to the taxpayers and really encourages people to do the right thing," Dallas mayor Tom Leppert said in an interview.
While the plan seems foolproof to proponents of reduced emissions and fuel consumption, opponents say it provides preferential treatment to large taxi operators who can afford to outfit their fleets with the costly technology. Many independent operators drive the only car in their "fleet."
"We believe as taxi drivers it is not right. It is unfair; it is immoral; it is un-American," said taxi driver Abvikarim Warsame during the council hearing yesterday.
References
1. 'Airport Check-in...' view
2. 'CNG Cabs Can...' view