Mumbai Bids Final Goodbye To Premier Padmini Taxis- The Iconic Kaali-peeli
After a heavy-hearted farewell to the BEST's legendary red double-decker diesel buses recently, Mumbaikars will now bid a final goodbye to their daily mode of transportation - the iconic black-and-yellow taxis, known as ‘Kaali-peeli’ by locals. The Premier Padmini taxi which upheld the imagery of Mumbai’s busy street will officially retire from its duty on 30 October, as the cabs complete its 20 years of age limit for the city.
Manufactured in India from 1964 to 2001 by Premier Automobiles, a division of the Walchand Group, under license from Fiat and marketed initially as the Fiat 1100 Delight— and from 1974 as the Premier Padmini, the familiar Kaali-peeli was once a famous car that ruled the Indian automobile industry in the 1970s and 80s. Starlets like Rajnikanth and Aamir Khan owned a Premier Padmini during its prime years. Now since the iconic cab is to be on a forever holiday. Let’s quickly ride on its golden journey.
The Special Bond
Mumbaikars Kaali-peeli bond is inseparable, generations of Mumbai have relied on these taxis to navigate their life, right from school to the office, the four-seated cab served as a pocket-friendly companion for many. The cab's availability and the driver's knowledge about the local roads, traffic patterns and various landmarks, are other reasons why locals shared a special bond with the cab.
The Business
According to reports Mumbai has now over 40,000 black-and-yellow cabs and with its retirement the Indian intercity cab market size is likely to be disturbed, it stood at around 2.3 billion US dollars in the financial year 2020 and was estimated to grow by four billion US dollars in FY 2027. However, the Premiere Padmini cabs started exiting the fleet in the early 2000s, with newer ones replacing the category. By 2003 most of the taxis switched from petrol to CNG.
Source, Statista
Today the iconic mode of public transportation going off-road is making almost every Mumbaikar sentimental with a majority of them urging authorities to reserve at least one ‘Premier Padmini’ either on the road or in a museum. But the commuters are least aware of how the enduring vehicle was making it difficult to meet some of the cab drivers’ average earnings.
Ganesh Patil (55) a cab driver said after paying the vehicle rent and petrol expenses, he was managing to make only up to Rs 250 to 350 daily which was again doubtful if he was not able to get a passenger way back to his home, in case of distant travel. Maintenance, insurance and other sundry expenses of the cab were another set of reasons for low earnings, Patil added.
The Kaali- peeli phase-out is likely to impact the Uber and Ola business as well which had the convenient vehicle service registered on its application. However, when commuters are looking to book their final Kaali-peeli ride, the popular application does not have any ride option for the iconic cab as of 29 October, Sunday.
Source, Ola, Uber
