Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today launched the Teksi Madani national renewed taxi programme at Merdeka Square in the capital. At the heart of this is the new Proton S70 taxi, which was unveiled at the event.
This S70 (which by the way is the mid-rung Premium variant) doesn’t look like a Malaysian taxi as we know it. For starters, there’s no taxi topper (the little sign on the roof that lights up) – instead, there are LED displays on the windscreen’s top-left and the rear glass that can display either ‘Teksi’ or ‘E-hailing’, pointing towards its dual nature.
Also, it wears a red-on-white GET JPJePlate rather than the usual black-on-white H plate, and that’s Proton’s Ruby Red (from the S70’s MC1 update); not the more taxi-like Passion Red that has been discontinued. There are also white floral C-pillar appliqués, but no traditional white bonnet nor white roof.
We’d better get used to this, because this is how Malaysian taxis are going to look like moving forward. We’re told the ‘GET’ in the plate stands for ‘Gabungan E-hailing dan Teksi‘ (combined e-hailing and taxi), and this plate will likely be exclusive to this series of taxis.
Inside, you’ll see a screen below the dashboard that functions both as a digital taximeter and an advertisement display (another potential income source for the driver). Under the centre console is a small printer to print receipts.
Transport minister Anthony Loke said in his speech that the programme represents an important step in transformation efforts towards more modern and competitive taxis, and plays an important role in the national public transport ecosystem.
To encourage the taxi community to migrate to these new machines, Anwar announced a new RM10 million matching grant (up to RM2k from Proton + up to RM2k from the government = up to RM4k trade-in support). There are also easy financing solutions that ensure the ownership stays with the driver, priority will be given to taxis for vehicle inspections, and they can be used for personal purposes.
The cars will be offered without excise and sales tax, and we’ve been told that they will be priced in the region of RM64,500 on-the-road without insurance. By comparison, the retail price of the S70 Premium is RM74,800, inclusive of a RM5,000 launch rebate.
The PM also said that the era of taxi permits being given to a select few (and the associated leasing scheme) is over, as we transition towards permits being given directly to taxi operators. What do you think of our new Malaysian taxi?
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Very well maintained. White colour and no accident. Beautiful car ✅