For decades, if one had to conjure up a picture of Mumbai, the imagery would be incomplete without the city's ‘Premier Padmini’ taxis. For, the public carriers, fondly called ‘kaali-peeli’, were more than just a mode of transport. They were attached to every aspect of the city. Giving way to newer models and app-based cab services, these black-and-yellow taxis will now bow out from Mumbai’s streets, following the path of retirement recently taken by the BEST’s legendary red double-decker diesel buses.
A transport department official said the last Premier Padmini was registered as a black and yellow taxi at the Tardeo RTO, which has jurisdiction over the island city of Mumbai, on October 29, 2003. As the age limit for cabs in the city is 20 years, Mumbai officially won’t have a Premier Padmini taxi from Monday onwards.
“Yeh Mumbai ki shaan hai aur hamari jaan hai (it is the pride of Mumbai and life of mine),” said Prabhadevi resident Abdul Kareem Karsekar, who owns the last registered Premier Padmini taxi of Mumbai, bearing registration number MH-01-JA-2556.
This transition comes shortly after the phasing out of the last iconic diesel-powered double-decker buses in the fleet of public transporter Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking due to the end of their 15-year codal life.
The retirement of two once-ubiquitous and crucial modes of public carriers in a matter of weeks has left Mumbai’s transportation enthusiasts heavy-hearted, with some demanding that at least one ‘Premier Padmini’ be preserved on the road or in a museum.