Kolkata: Over 64 percent of Kolkata’s iconic yellow taxis will be off the roads by March 2025 due to the 15-year service limit imposed by the state transport department.

According to records of the state transport department, there are currently around 7,000 registered yellow taxis in the state. Out of them, around 4,500 will have to be taken off the roads as per pollution norms that bar vehicles 15 years old or above from moving on the roads.

These yellow taxis, all Ambassadors, were earlier produced by Hindustan Motors Limited (HML) at its manufacturing unit, Hind Motor, in the Hooghly district of West Bengal.

However, since the company has stopped manufacturing this particular brand, there is no chance of their replacements.

The exact year when yellow taxis were introduced on the streets of Kolkata for the first time is a matter of some confusion. Some records of the state transports suggest that it was around 1908 when the first yellow taxi started operating on the streets of Kolkata, with the per-mile cost for availing its service fixed at 50 paise.

However, the Calcutta Tax Association adopted Ambassador as the Standard Tax Model in 1962. Clear visibility of the colour even after the sunset was the reason for choosing yellow as the colour of the taxis.

While the popularity of yellow taxis has been on the decline due to the introduction of app-cabs that provide better comfort rides, the state transport department is making efforts to preserve the nostalgia associated with yellow taxis. They are working on a formula to keep that reminiscence alive to some extent and as far as possible.

While getting Ambassador models back on the streets is out of the question since the company manufacturing it has stopped the production of this brand, the state transport department is considering other solutions. Owners holding permits for old yellow taxis will be able to get new commercial transport permits against the old ones. Thereafter, any owner, whoever wants to get yellow as the colour for that commercial vehicle, would be allowed to do so by virtue of special permission from the state transport department. However, all these are at the drawing-board stage now and need discussions with the taxi associations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

–IANS