The Honduran Institute of Land Transport (IHTT) has begun the massive conversion to LPG of about 500 taxis operating in the northern part of the country, said Commissioner Pyubani Williams. The conversion is completely free and the company certified to carry out the transformation is Tropigás, which offers a warranty of five years.

During the rest of 2017, the government will invest about 25 million lempiras (more than one million dollars) to convert about 2,500 taxis to Autogas nationwide. “The programme has already converted approximately 7,500 vehicles, and 30 million lempiras have already been invested,” explained IHTT legal director Juan Fernando Madrid.

“A trust was created in 2013 and funds were allocated through the Finance Department to allow these conversion grants, so the taxi driver does not have to pay,” commented Williams, and invited different taxi associations and their members to join the national programme. The institute has also created a new method in which the taxi driver can personally apply for conversion regardless of the association to which he belongs.

To apply for the conversion, the vehicle must be registered and have the recent Review Card (Proof of the Annual Vehicle Registration Fee) and the owner must not have pending issues with the IHTT. To start the process, the taxi driver must visit the institute’s website and fill out a form. If the vehicle does not show any physical or documentation problems, the IHTT delivers a sheet with an electronic signature allowing the driver to bring the vehicle for conversion for free, which only takes one or two days.

The Autogas conversions have started in San Pedro Sula and will continue at the institute’s regional offices in La Ceiba, Choluteca and finally Tegucigalpa. This initiative, which will allow drivers to save 300 lempiras (about 13 dollars) daily, was launched by President Hernandez, and aims to convert about 15,000 taxis nationwide. For more information, please check this link.