JinBei Hiase minivans, a locally produced Chinese version of the Toyota HiAce, have been designated for taxi use in Iran, replacing the much older stock of Chinese minivans currently in service.
The 8-12-seater minivans will be produced by Pars Khodro, a partly-owned subsidiary of SAIPA, Iran's second largest car company.
As part of the deal, Tehran Taxi Association, the group in charge of the purchase, will work out a price that allows taxi drivers to pay for them in installments, Donyaye Khodro reported.
The plan to renovate the aging taxi fleet began in earnest back in 2015, with the municipality getting the ball rolling for upgrading its stock.
Back in January, 50 hybrid taxis were added to Tehran’s public transportation fleet.
“This is a historic day for the capital’s public transport system,” Seyyed Jafar Tashakkori Hashemi, deputy for traffic and transportation affairs at Tehran Municipality, said at the ceremony, Asre Khodro reported at the time.
Tehran's taxi fleet is littered with decrepit vehicles that emit a staggering 240 tons of pollutants every day.
