If you ever been to Mumbai or not, imagining a picture of Mumbai would always be incomplete without the city’s ‘Premier Padmini’. For locals, the public carriers, fondly called ‘kaali-peeli’, were more than just a mode of transport. They were attached to every aspect of the city.
Days after bidding adieu to the BEST open-roof double-decker buses, now, Mumbai is set for another significant change: the vintage yellow is finally going off the roads, due to the Maharashtra government’s ban on more than 20 years old.
The vintage yellow, due to the Maharashtra government’s ban on taxis over 20 years old, will soon disappear from the city’s streets. Making room for newer models and app-based cab services, the familiar black-and-yellow will make their exit.
An official from the transport department revealed that the last Premier Padmini taxi was registered as a black-and-yellow taxi at the Tardeo RTO, which governs the island city of Mumbai, on October 29, 2003. Since the city’s age limit for taxis is set at 20 years, Mumbai will officially bid farewell to Premier Padmini taxis from Monday onwards.
The last remaining:
Abdul Kareem Karsekar, a resident of Prabhadevi and owner of Mumbai’s last registered Premier Padmini taxi with the registration number MH-01-JA-2556, emotionally expressed, “Yeh Mumbai ki shaan hai aur hamari jaan hai” (it is the pride of Mumbai and my life).
This transition follows closely after the retirement of the last iconic diesel-powered double-decker buses in the fleet of the public transporter Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, due to the end of their 15-year operational life.
The phasing out of these two once-ubiquitous and crucial modes of public transportation within a few weeks has left transportation enthusiasts in Mumbai with a heavy heart. Some are even advocating for the preservation of at least one ‘Premier Padmini’ on the road or in a museum.
Classic car enthusiast Daniel Sequeira emphasized that these robust cabs have been an integral part of the city’s landscape for over five decades, holding sentimental value for several generations.
Pradeep Palav, a resident of Parel and an art enthusiast, lamented that nowadays Premier Padmini taxis can only be seen in murals on walls in Mumbai. Though they have slowly faded from the streets, they have earned a special place in people’s imagination and hearts.
“Currently, we have numerous car models serving as taxis, but when you think of painting a taxi, only the black-and-yellow Premier Padmini comes to mind. It dominated Mumbai’s streets for almost five decades, giving a distinctive face to the city’s taxis,” Palav remarked.
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