Kaali-Peeli Taxi - Latest News Update, Information, Photos & Videos on Kaali-Peeli Taxi at Lokmat Times

The iconic black-and-yellow 'Premier Padmini' taxis, affectionately known as 'kaali-peeli,' is all set to bid farewell to the streets of Mumbai from Oct 30 after six decades of service, due to the age limit for cabs in the city being 20 years. An official from the transport department was quoted as saying by news agency PTI that the last Premier Padmini was registered as a black-and-yellow taxi on October 29, 2003, at the Tardeo RTO, which has jurisdiction over the city of Mumbai. These black-and-yellow taxis bid adieu to the city streets making way for newer models and app-based cab services.The Mumbai Taximen’s Union, one of the biggest taxi driver unions in the city, had petitioned the government few years ago to preserve at least one kaali-peeli, however their efforts did not bring any success. A resident of Parel and art lover Pradeep Palav told PTI that nowadays Premier Padmini taxis can only be seen in murals on walls in Mumbai. “Though it has slowly vanished, it has conquered a place in people’s imagination and hearts", he added.In a conversation with the news agency, general secretary of the Mumbai Taximens Union, AL Quadros, recalled that the Premier Padmini’s journey as a taxi started in 1964 with the model ‘Fiat-1100 Delight’, a powerful 1200-cc car with a steering-mounted gear shifter. He said that it was small compared to big taxis like the Plymouth, Landmaster, Dodge, and Fiat 1100, often called by locals as ‘dukkar Fiat’.In the 1970s, the model was rebranded as Premier President and subsequently as Premier Padmini, after the legendary Indian queen Padmini. “After this, the car manufactured by Premier Automobile Limit (PAL) never went through a name change until its production stopped in 2001", Quadros added.Some 100-125 Premier Padmini taxis remained unregistered due to lack of availability of spare parts or other reasons, for a long time after production ceased.The union leader who is currently in his 80s told news agency PTI that Premier Padmini’s number was at its peak in the ’90s, however a big chunk of them went off the roads after the Maharashtra government set a 25-year age limit for cabs in 2008. In 2013, the government brought it down to 20 years. Due to their smaller size, reliable engines, easy maintenance, and comfortable interiors, Premier Padminis were popular among cabbies. Mumbai's black-and-yellow taxi color scheme, suggested by freedom fighter V.B. Gandhi, is the city's signature. Gandhi recommended painting the upper part of the cabs yellow for better visibility and the lower part black to conceal stains.This transition occurred closely after the retirement of Mumbai's legendary diesel-powered double-decker buses, a loss that has left transportation enthusiasts disheartened.

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Kaali-peeli taxi, Latest News

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