Blue Bird Fully Transitions to MPV Fleet, Eyes Hybrid Adoption for New Armada

The landscape of regular taxi fleets on Indonesia’s main thoroughfares has undergone a drastic shift. PT Blue Bird Tbk (BIRD) has officially confirmed that the era of using sedan-type cars for regular taxi services has ended and has been completely replaced by a line-up of Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPV). This total transition is based on customer satisfaction evaluations showing a preference for the spacious cabin capacity typical of family cars, as well as considerations of functional efficiency for the corporation. The use of MPV models was pioneered with the arrival of the first-generation Toyota Avanza in the company’s taxi fleet. “For regular taxis, they are now all MPVs, because our sedan units reached the end of their service life last year. Now it is purely MPV,” said Sigit Priawan Djokosoetono, Vice President Director of PT Blue Bird Tbk, in Jakarta. Interestingly, the end of the sedan era opens a new chapter for the potential adoption of dual-engine or hybrid technology. Sigit explained that Blue Bird currently uses hybrid vehicle technology on a limited basis in non-taxi business divisions, such as long-term corporate commercial rental units. However, the opportunity for adopting hybrid technology for the mass regular taxi fleet is wide open in the near future. The main prerequisite is the readiness of automotive brand holder agents (APM) to produce this environmentally friendly technology in economically viable MPV variants. Adrianto Djokosoetono, President Director of PT Blue Bird Tbk, gave a strong signal that the company is ready to make large-scale purchases if manufacturers can launch affordable hybrid cars in the MPV class. “We continue to look at all technology options that can make operational costs much more efficient and effective. If hybrid technology starts to be applied to more common vehicles like the Avanza, of course that type will suddenly be directly in our regular taxi fleet line-up,” said Adrianto.