Ever dream of being driven from point A to point B in a Ferrari or Porsche? Shoppers in Jakarta were surprised last month when bright yellow Ferrari and Porsche taxis began appearing at shopping malls in the city offering rides to lucky passengers. Following the website address printed on the rear windows of the sports car taxis led to a website for what appeared to be a new taxi company, calling itself MM Cab and offering its Ferrari 360 Modena and Porsche Boxster S taxis to shuttle passengers around Jakarta.
However, these taxis were nowhere to be seen after just a few days of operation, leaving Indonesian netizens wondering if this is a real cab business or just a marketing hoax to garner publicity. Here’s the story from the point of view of the Jakarta Transit Authority…
From Detik News:
Ferrari & Porsche Taxis Busted By Jakarta Transit Authority
A fleet of Ferrari 360 Modena and 2003 Porsche Boxster luxury taxis were spotted roaming around in Jakarta on Thursday, July 12th, creating buzz both in the real world and on social media. In the meantime, the Jakarta Transit Authority was furiously searching for these taxis to reprimand them. Why?
“Since yesterday, I’ve had my men searching for these taxis. We had no luck finding them until today when one was spotted at the Senayan complex. We already gave them a stern warning.” explained Jakarta Transit Authority Chief Mr. Udar Pristono when contacted on Saturday (14/7/2012).
Jakarta Transit Authority: Ferrari Taxi does not have a formal permit.
Pris (Chief Udar Pristono’s name in short) explained that these Ferrari and Porsche taxis have violated several rules.
“These were clear violations, such as unauthorized use of taxi logos and yellow taxi license plates. Then, when we checked the car, there wasn’t a meter either,” he further explained.
Upon further investigation, Pris received an explanation that the Ferrari and Porsche taxis were only used for filming purposes but whether they were for movies or commercials Pris was not certain. Pris also requested that the filmmaker make a formal statement.
“Consequently, we’ve have requested that the filmmaker make a formal statement. They have agreed to come into our office on Monday to make an apology. They also promise that today will be the last day,” explained Pris.
The Ferrari and Porsche taxis were last seen at JCC Senayan Complex at around 5.30 PM [Saturday] and has not been seen since.
On a website operated by MM Cab, there are 2 posted videos which capture moments when the Porsche and Ferrari taxis were making their rounds in Jakarta. The videos showcased the public reactions who are mostly in awe of these cars. Several people were spotted capturing photos with their personal cellphones.
At first glance, these videos are similar to another video entitled ‘Porsche Taxi In Bangkok Thailand‘ [see below] which was originally posted on 2 July 2011. During that time, a Porsche Boxster 987 was seen roaming Bangkok’s streets in Thailand. That video was used to advertise a cellphone produced by a company in South Korea.
Hmm, so was this a real taxi business or not?
Comments from Detik News:
ABG_Centil:
What’s next? Free ambulance taxis? Any one want to ride?
Arieystar:
Ohhh, I didn’t know that this was only for a commercial. Haha
Aditiya gentili:
Seems like The Transit Authority is looking for extra income.
Neng:
Why make so much trouble for just a commercial shooting? It’ll just cause more traffic. Way too flamboyant!
Hoheh:
It’s not that hard to just ask for money, you know…
Falcons:
Marketing fail.
Keshialockhart:
Oh just ask for more money.
Kecoakk:
Oh gosh, The Transit Authority should just admit that they want to be part of the film-making process…
Niboedi:
Seems like “for film-making purpose” will be used as the next excuse when someone is caught for corruption.
Gamh:
The Transit Authority should spend more time dealing with the minibuses and other public transportation that stop randomly and cause traffic jams on the street!
Syarif Hidayatullah:
Oh, no permit? That’s why, you should always get your permit first. Trying to cut back on the extra costs?
Denniesularso:
Sir, you should spend more time going after other cars that cause traffic jams! Are you too scared?
Nonlinear:
What a lie, seems like the company was about to start a taxi operation business and it was clearly written on the website. Don’t listen to their excuses, Mr. Transit Authority Chief!
Alcsnet:
In the end, they [Transit Authority] probably will try to charge more money for the taxi permits. They don’t want to go after the minibuses because they generate less income. What a waste of time.
Latifah Haryadi:
We all got punk’d. The marketing of Indonesian films is getting increasingly desperate. They will try to use this scandal to garner more publicity for themselves.
A MM Cab video:
For comparison, the “Porsce Taxi in Bangkok, Thailand” video:
What’s the fanciest taxi you’ve taken a ride in?
More pictures:
