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It is not always easy for veterans to find suitable work when they return home from the battlefield, so any business that make it a point to hire soldiers returning home should be recognized. Combining this awareness of the special needs of returning war vets with the ever-growing need to conserve fuel, reduce emissions, and improve the bottom line is truly a great business plan. Such is the business strategy of business owner Bob Delucia, who owns and runs Veterans’ Taxi of Pittsburgh.
Himself a veteran, Delucia was trying to accomplish several goals at once: hiring vets, reducing business expenses, and lowering his company’s carbon footprint. So far his company is succeeding while he does just that. He is one of a growing number of companies with fleets of vehicles making the switch from traditional gasoline-based cars to fleets which run on compressed natural gas. Fortunately for Delucia, the fact that his business is headquartered in Pittsburgh means he has easy access to one of the trailblazers of supply of this low-cost, low-emissions fuel: American Natural CNG.
According to the Department of Energy CNG is clean and affordable, costing only about $2.14 a gallon at the pump. Delucia planned his business for three years before opening shop, and new that by having a fleet of CNG powered cars he could save a lot of money. Today Veterans” Taxi has 28 CNG vehicles, each one with the ability to travel 290 miles without refueling.
“CNG is the future the way I see it,” Delucia said. “Using natural gas is very rewarding. It allows me to expand the use of American fuel with American drivers.”
Delucia is ready to expand his business into new markets, including Atlanta, Detroit, St. Louis, Florida, Kansas, and California. One employee, Nicolas Bloom, a Navy veteran explained that, “Veterans’ Taxi has provided me with a good income and an opportunity to work with fellow veterans on a daily basis, meet and converse with many new people, and increase my knowledge of Pittsburgh.”
