Mumbai's renowned 'Premier Padmini' taxis will cease operations in the city starting Monday, October 30, marking the end of an era for these iconic kaali peelis. Pics/PTI
The decision follows recent retirement of the legendary red double-decker diesel buses operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking.
As per the announcement by a transport department official, the last Premier Padmini taxi was officially registered at the Tardeo Regional Transport Office (RTO), which oversees the island city of Mumbai.
Given that the city imposes a 20-year age limit for cabs, Mumbai will officially bid adieu to the Premier Padmini taxis from Monday onward; these taxis have been part of the transport system for six decades.
The simultaneous retirement of these two once-ubiquitous and integral modes of public transportation has left transportation enthusiasts in Mumbai deeply saddened. Some have even called for the preservation of at least one 'Premier Padmini' on the road or in a museum.
A few years ago, the Mumbai Taximen's Union, one of the city's largest taxi driver unions, had appealed to the government to conserve at least one 'kaali-peeli' (black-and-yellow) taxi but without success, as reported by PTI.
Mumbai currently boasts over 40,000 black-and-yellow taxis, although, in the late 1990s, the number stood at about 63,000, which included the air-conditioned "cool cabs" featuring a distinctive 'blue and silver' colour scheme.
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