Dallas Yellow Cab’s hybrid vehicle pilot program is helping lead the city’s clean air initiatives.

As the country’s third-largest transportation company in one metropolitan market, Dallas Yellow Cab is helping lead the city’s clean air initiatives by implementing a hybrid vehicle pilot program. Jeff Finkel, vice president and an owner, says the company currently is adding 20 hybrid cabs on the road in a pilot program, but aims to be at 100 percent by 2011, if the pilot program proves successful.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area has been targeted by the EPA as one of the top-10-most polluted cities in the United States, and Dallas Yellow Cab’s hybrid program is intended to help address that distinction.

“This year, we launched the hybrid pilot program, which we’re very excited about,” Finkel explains. The hybrid vehicles get better gas mileage in stop-and-go traffic, which not only helps with clean air initiatives, but also helps address the issue of fuel prices.

Currently, the company’s hybrid vehicles are Toyota Camrys, but the company is looking at other manufacturers as new models are introduced. “We have the Super Bowl coming to Dallas in 2011, and by that time, we want to have a full hybrid fleet on the road,” Finkel says. “We want to be part of the clean air solution.”

With about 1,100 vehicles on the road under Dallas Yellow Cab and its affiliated taxi companies, the company is certainly in a position to make an impact. In addition, Dallas Yellow Cab has been operating ADA-compliant vehicles and paratransit services for more than 15 years. Currently, it has about 20 ADA-compliant vehicles on the road, but Dallas Yellow Cab will add 12 more to its fleet this year. Finkel notes the company is focused on aggressively growing its ADA-compliant vehicles.

Service on the Road
Safety on the road is a top priority, which is why Dallas Yellow Cab operates a driver training school. Drivers must complete a training program, and pass a background check and exams that measure English proficiency and city street knowledge.

Once a driver is brought on board, Finkel says there are three types of vehicle options: Drivers can purchase their vehicles and pay a stand fee to the company, they can lease to own or they can lease without the option to own.

Because most local cab riders call for a cab, as opposed to flagging one down on the street, service is a top priority. “The biggest reason people will select one cab company over another is service,” Finkel says. “And we’re the only company in the area that covers the whole Dallas-Fort Worth market.”

Additionally, Finkel says repeat customers may directly go to voice-recognition software to expedite their call for service or can always receive a live operator when they call for a cab. For repeat customers, addresses and information are on file, so the cab can be dispatched faster.
Dallas Yellow Cab has installed GPS on its cabs to quickly allocate the nearest cab and dispatch the order.

The company is also a leader in the GO Airport Shuttle service, available in more than 100 airports in the United States, Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe.
Although the service is widely available, the GO Airport shuttle vehicles were not uniformly branded.

The company is starting to change that, and the company’s shuttle division, Yellow Checker Shuttle is leading the re-branding effort. “We’re making sure all the GO Airport vehicles have the same colors and logo, so customers will be able to identify the brand around the world,” Finkel explains.

Supporting the City
Dallas Yellow Cab has benefited from rooftop advertising. Finkel says the company has been running advertisements on top of its cabs for the last 15 years.

When there are unsold ad spots, the company promotes the city and places banners to promote the Dallas and Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureaus.       
Finkel notes the company has also helped promote fighting crime and city employment initiatives through its rooftop advertising.

"Rather than have an empty advertising spot, we like to promote the city,” Finkel says. “Conventions and tourism are good for the whole market, so we provide free advertising whenever we can.”