Owners of high-mileage cars working on ride-hailing platforms anywhere in Iran can now sign up to have their vehicles converted free of charge to run on both gasoline and compressed natural gas, an official at the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company said.
About 5,000 applicants from across the country have registered so far, Saeid Rahmansalari, who heads the company's CNG program, said.
Rahmansalari said registration opened nationwide Saturday for all active high-mileage cars on online taxi platforms. He said the program is part of an effort to manage fuel consumption and close Iran's gasoline shortfall by expanding the CNG industry.
Eligible car owners will receive a text message and can then go to the website gcr.niopdc.ir to finish registering and choose an authorized workshop, he said.
The ride-hailing platforms sent the company lists of vehicles, and text messages are being sent out gradually, Rahmansalari said. Selection criteria vary by city depending on geographic size and mileage, he said. In some cases the benchmark is daily mileage above 62 miles; in others it is 48 trips a week.
Drivers who receive a confirmation text can complete registration on the site and be placed in the queue, with priority, for a free conversion, he said.
The initiative follows the Oil Ministry's broader policy of curbing the gasoline shortfall by substituting CNG and cutting fuel costs for households and public transportation, Rahmansalari said.
Tehran, Alborz and Kerman provinces have had the highest turnout, he said, but applicants in every province can now register to have gasoline-only cars converted free to dual-fuel.