Biodiesel taxi fleet and service station

Summary

The biggest taxi company in Graz began switching its fleet from diesel to biodiesel cars, and made its filling station available to the public in order to promote the use of cleaner fuel.

Implementing sustainable mobility

With a fleet of 220 cars, Taxi 878 is the biggest taxi company in Graz. All drivers are given a one-day training on environmental issues as part of the company’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact.

Progress

In order to make the shift from diesel to biodiesel easier, a fuelling station for biodiesel was established at Taxi 878 headquarters. The filling station is also open to the public, thus encouraging other companies as well as citizens to use biodiesel. The large-scale introduction of biodiesel in a taxi company makes it possible to gather information about repair, maintenance and service needs when using biodiesel.

Most Taxi 878 drivers are not employees but franchisers, which added an extra challenge to the shift. A central decision to use another fuel was not enough: facts and information had to convince individual members to voluntarily change fuels. A campaign to this end addressed topics such as quality of the biofuel, using the fuel on cold winter days and biodiesel use in general.

Outcomes

Some technical problems were encountered with fuel filters in the initial phase, but these were overcome with the help of experts and the use of alternative fuel was eventually well received among taxi drivers. The company’s emergency backup generator runs on biodiesel, and 60 percent of the taxi fleet operates on biodiesel. Other taxi drivers have switched to renewable fuel and the number of private users of biodiesel also rose.