Honda jumps through hoops to sell Earth-friendly taxicabs

Some deals are harder to close than others.

Take the case of 30 natural-gas-fueled Honda Civics. Marco Henry of Yellow Cab Co. in Hartford, Conn., wants to buy them. Craig Peters of nearby Manchester Honda wants to sell them to him.

But it has taken months of meetings, phone calls and letters, the intervention of Honda North America's Washington office, the hiring of Connecticut lobbyists and state legislation to make a deal possible.

And still, as of last week, the governor's signature was needed on the bill before the deal could be closed.

All this because state regulators decided in November 2000 that a car used for taxicab service should have a wheelbase of at least 105 inches. The Civic has a 103.1-inch wheelbase.

The bill sought by Honda and headed for the governor's desk says a cab that runs on a clean alternative fuel can have a wheelbase as short as 102 inches.

Regulators who had blocked the Civic taxicab said the minimum-wheelbase rule was needed for passenger comfort. But other parties to the dispute saw more than mere coincidence in these facts: The car used most often for taxis, the Ford Crown Victoria, has a wheelbase of 114.7 inches, and it also is available in a natural-gas-powered version.

What can be learned from this story? As Kermit would say, it isn't easy being green.

"It was a very negative experience, very discouraging," said Peters, assistant sales manager of Manchester Honda.

The dealership has the franchise for Honda's alternative-fuel vehicles throughout Connecticut. But as the Yellow Cab case shows, the job has its challenges.

A state official, who asked not to be named, noted that Honda will have spent more on lobbying than it will ever make back on sales of Civic taxis.

Still, Peters said the effort was worth it because adding more nonpolluting Civics to the Hartford taxi fleet is the right thing to do. He said they contribute to cleaner air and less reliance on imported oil, and they mean lower maintenance costs for cab companies.

Honda officials say they don't have any evidence that Ford Motor Co. or Ford dealers pushed for the regulation. But one official, who asked not to be named, said suspiciously: "There are two manufacturers of natural-gas cars. Only one vehicle didn't qualify."

Robert Cumpstone, Connecticut's top taxi service regulator, said everything was on the up and up. The state has a long history of trying to protect the interests of cab users, he said, and a regulatory review committee determined, after study and public hearings, that a minimum wheelbase of 105 inches was needed to assure adequate room for passengers.

He said no one objected to the regulation at the hearings.

Asked about the legislation, sought by Honda, to override that regulation, Cumpstone said that if the governor signs the bill, it will be the law, and "I will abide by the law of the state of Connecticut."