Holland’s first H2 taxi fleet hits the road

Noot Personenvervoer now operates the first hydrogen-powered taxi fleet in the Netherlands in The Hague. Fuel cell taxis will also be on the road in Wiesbaden, Germany in the future – but significantly less than in The Hague.

In the Netherlands, there are 35 Toyota Mirai vehicles that are used as “WMO transport” – a taxi service for people who are unable to use public transport due to disabilities provided for in a social law. For this reason, the service was renamed from “Taxibus” to “AV 070” – AV stands for Aanvullend Vervoer, which means “additional transport”, and 070 stands for the telephone code of The Hague.

Noot Personenvervoer is one of the largest passenger carriers in the Netherlands with 1,200 taxis, small buses and coaches. The city of The Hague has made it a prerequisite for the fleet to be operated CO2-neutral in the course of the tender for the service. So far, the former taxi bus fleet has carried around 15,000 passengers per year, according to its own figures.

In addition to the local zero-emission fuel cell drive, the Mirai is said to have been favoured in the tender by the pleasantly short tank duration in the taxi service.

The short tank duration was also one of the reasons why the taxi company “Eco Taxi Wiesbaden” opted for hydrogen cars. The company now also uses two Hyundai iX35 Fuel Cells. The company also has eleven Toyota hybrid taxis and one Tesla Model X.

Taxi operator Conrad Quaynor explains why the expansion of the eco-fleet did not result in any further BEV with the costs. Quaynor told media representatives that “taxi companies get a discount with conventional manufacturers, but not yet with electric cars”.

For the customers nothing changes, since the transport prices are anyway fixed by the municipality. However, Quaynor also sees its eco-fleet as ahead from an economic point of view – despite the higher purchase prices: “With the fuel savings as well as the lower wear and tear of electric cars, this can be recouped. And even if diesel and electric are on the same side at the end of the day, environmental protection is worth it.

toyota.nl, wiesbadener-kurier.de (Dutch, German)