© proceso.hn Thanks to a conversion scheme launched by the government, over 250 taxi drivers have already fitted their cars with autogas systems in 2018. You will be excused for saying the number is nowhere near impressive, but before you do, remember that the Central American republic isn't exactly huge, either – with an area of 112,5 thousand square km and a population of slightly above 9 million, it's definitely not an empire. Besides, even the biggest autogas markets on the globe started with modest figures.
What is the scheme about? It's a social programme and so the idea is to make conversions free for taxi drivers who wish to abandon petrol in favour of LPG. In practice, authorities cover expenses of up to 24 thousand lempiras (the equivalent of roughly 1000 US dollars) for a single vehicle, with anything in excess of that sum to be paid by the motorists themselves. We don't know the rates installers in Honduras charge, but e.g. in Poland $1000 would be more than enough to convert a popular car with a 4-cylinder port injection engine.
The goal is as simple as ever: to make driving less costly and less harmful to the environment. There is only one condition: only legitimate conversions, performed by authorised installers using approved components and equipment, are eligible for participation in the programme. This means an additional aim of the scheme is to discourage drivers from visiting illegal conversion shops in pursue of lower prices.
Taxi drivers wishing to participate and have their conversion cost refunded should visit local IHTT (Honduran Institute of Road Transport) offices in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba or Choluteca. So far, over 7000 taxis have been converted to run on autogas since 2013 and the forecast for 2018 is to have over 2000 more units fitted with LPG systems. You're doing the right thing, Honduras!
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