Blue Bird to purchase 740 Mercedes Benz cars

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Taxi firm Blue Bird Group will invest Rp 320 billion (US$36.7 million) over the coming five years to procure 740 Mercedes Benz C-Class cars to replace its existing Silver Bird luxury taxis.

The replacement program will be carried out in stages, starting with the initial purchase of 300 taxis worth Rp 130 billion, chief commissioner Chandra Suharto said Friday during a ceremony marking the handover of the first Mercedes cars from PT Daimler Chrysler Indonesia, the local unit of Germany automaker Daimler Chrysler.

"As we prioritize the safety and comfort of our customers, we have selected Mercedes C Class cars to replace all of our existing Silver Bird taxis as we know that Mercedes vehicles are durable and reliable. In addition, Mercedes has a well-established brand image," he said, adding that Blue Bird currently operated a 740-vehicle Silver Bird fleet in Jakarta.

The company, the only taxi operator providing a luxury service, currently uses Nissan Cedrics and primarily serves serve star-rated hotels around the city.

Blue Bird president director Purnomo Prawiro said that the new Mercedes taxis were expected to hit the road by the end of next month after being equipped with taximeters.

He said that although the new cabs would use more gasoline than the existing ones, the company did not intend to increase fares.

"We are not going to increase fares at the moment, but we might do so in the future," he said.

Silver Bird taxis currently have a flag-fall of Rp 6,000 for the first kilometer, and Rp 3,200 for each subsequent kilometer.

Besides Silver Bird taxis, the company also operates about 10,000 Blue Bird taxis with a flag-fall of Rp 5,000 and a per-kilometer charge of Rp 2,500.

For Daimler Chrysler, this marks its first foray into the Indonesian taxi market.

President director Rudi Borgenheimer said that his firm was proud to supply its Mercedes C Class taxis to serve discerning taxi customers in Indonesia.