First solar-run taxi station in country
KOTA KINABALU: The city is proud to be the first to have a full-fledged solar-run green taxi station in the country at Kampung Air near here.
The taxi station and the technologies that went with it is worth RM300,000 and has been made possible by the Kota Kinabalu Teo Chew Association, Remajaya Sdn Bhd, Colourcoil Industries Sdn Bhd, City Top Enterprise Sdn Bhd, Glimex Corporation Sdn Bhd, Y.S. Aluminium Sdn Bhd, BriSteel Corporation Sdn Bhd, LCP Trading Sdn Bhd, N S Stainless Steel Industri Sdn Bhd, Panellite Marketing (Borneo) Sdn Bhd, JS Contractor Enterprise, Paltinum Omega Sdn Bhd, Tanbar Sdn Bhd, Niro Ceramic Sales and Services (M) Sdn Bhd, Unity Marketing (M) Sdn Bhd, OD Paints Sdn Bhd, Expogaya Sdn Bhd, Pemborong K & H Construction Sdn Bhd, Lusera Sdn Bhd, In Precast Builders Sdn Bhd, Veista Sdn Bhd, Tiara Perkasa Trading, Innotech Design Artchitects Sdn Bhd, PY Konsep Perunding Sdn Bhd and SME Konsult Sdn Bhd.
Deputy Chief Minister cum Industrial Development Minister Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah described the taxi stand as special since it was a project by the Teo Chew community for the people.
“It is an encouragement for an association to think of the people at large ... I was told that it is high tech and uses solar energy power, which is another step forward since it doesn’t only function as a shade but also provides renewable energy for lighting,” said Tan.
He hoped more of such technologies would be applied in the city since it was the aspiration of the City Hall to turn Kota Kinabalu into a green city.
“You cannot be a green city without the support of such a technology,” he said.
Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) chairman Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai expressed his appreciation to the sponsors and to the City Hall for the effort.
“This is a unique CSR (corporate social responsibility) effort and the project is the first of its kind in the country in terms of the technology involved. We are involved in the renewable sector and are proud to be part of it. And I want to take the opportunity to praise the sponsors behind it, including the mayor (Datuk Abidin Madingkir), because only with them can we have this successful project,” he said.
He added that the leaders in the taxi industry were also pleased with the project.
“I think its a win-win community project and hope there will be other similar CSR project at other parts of the town,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir said that among the Malaysian states, Sabah is the most suitable for harnessing of solar power.
“As technologies improve, I hope that there will be more individuals, companies and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) coming forward and emulating the good deed by the association, to put a balance between environment and modern technology,” he said.
He said that on the part of the City Hall, they already built more than 10 taxi stands and 45 bus stops in the city centre since 2013.
He said that all the new bus stops were now using green technology and solar-powered.
“It is in the pipeline to eventually convert all the other existing bus stops to be solar-powered and this would be carried out in stages,” he said.
Abidin, however, said that while the City Hall endeavoured to provide more facilities for the public convenience, it was regrettable that many of their facilities such as bus stops, streetlights, toilets and others had been damaged or vandalised.