Mumbai's iconic 'Premier Padmini' taxis retiring after 6 decades
After gracing the city's streets for six decades, Mumbai's iconic Premier Padmini taxis, fondly referred to as "Kaali-Peeli" by locals, will officially be taken off the roads on Monday. The last Premier Padmini was reportedly registered in 2003, at the Tardeo Regional Transport Office (RTO). Its owner Abdul Kareem Karsekar describes it as his life and the "pride of Mumbai." Notably, the 20-year age limit imposed on cabs in the metro city ended their journey.
Kaali-Peeli taxis in Mumbai's cultural heritage
The Kaali-Peeli taxis have become part of Mumbai's cultural legacy for serving commuters. It also appeared in several Bollywood films, such as Taxi No. 9211, Khaali-Peeli, and Aa Ab Laut Chale. An art enthusiast, Pradeep Palav, told PTI that these taxis will only be spotted in murals on Mumbai's walls now. Some years ago, the Mumbai Taximen's Union (MTU) petitioned the government to preserve at least one Premier Padmini on the road but couldn't succeed.
Know about Premier Padmini's journey
Premier Padmini's journey as a taxi commenced in 1964 with the "Fiat-1100 Delight" model, which had a powerful 1200-cc engine, said AL Quadros, the General Secretary of the MTU. In the 1970s, the model was rebranded "Premier President" and then "Premier Padmini," after the Indian queen "Padmini." "After this, the car manufactured by Premier Automobiles Limited (PAL) never went through...name change until its production stopped in 2001," Quadros said. However, 100-125 Premier Padminis remained unregistered due to various factors.
Mumbai has over 40,000 Kaali-Peeli cabs currently
Currently, around 40,000 black-and-yellow taxis are running in Mumbai, per reports. In the late 1990s, it had around 63,000 of them, including the air-conditioned "cool cabs" with a "blue and silver" color scheme. According to Quadros, the number of Premier Padminis peaked in the 1990s. However, a large number of them were taken off the road after the Maharashtra government imposed a 25-year age restriction for taxis in 2008, which was later reduced further to 20 years in 2013.
Double-decker buses also retired recently
This development follows the recent retirement of Mumbai's iconic double-decker buses after reaching their 15-year codal life. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) ceased adding double-decker buses to their fleet after 2008 due to high operating expenses. Since February, BEST has been substituting them with leased battery-powered red and black double-decker buses. These buses have not only served as a mode of transportation but also as a tourist attraction since the 1990s.
