Plan Would Ask Taxis to Use Natural Gas

Seeking to reduce air pollution from taxis, Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon has proposed encouraging taxi companies to switch to natural gas-powered vehicles.

Alarcon, who represents the northeast San Fernando Valley and is also a board member for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, submitted a motion Wednesday proposing incentives for companies willing to switch from gasoline- to natural gas-powered taxis.

For example, Alarcon said, the city could temporarily give natural-gas powered taxis preferred access to Los Angeles International Airport--one of the industry’s most lucrative destinations.

And eventually, clean-fuel requirements could become a consideration in granting franchise agreements to taxi companies, he said.

Why taxis? “First of all they drive more than other vehicles,” said Alarcon, who is also chairman of the City Council Transportation Committee. “Secondly, because of their connection to the airport, they emit [pollution] in a concentrated area.”

That means a fleet of natural-gas powered airport taxis could serve as a “pilot project” offering a small-scale model of the effects of natural-gas powered vehicles on air quality, he said.

The motion, which could affect 1,800 taxis in greater Los Angeles, was referred to the Transportation Committee.