Kolkata writes its own story. Whether it be the grandeur of the Howrah Bridge, the never-ending colonial architecture, or, most importantly, the iconic yellow taxis. These yellow-painted ambassador cabs have been an identity for the cities for a long time, but modern times are shutting the doors on them with their stringent policies.
Over 64% of their current fleet is going to meet its end this month. In just two years from now, Yellow Ambassadors will vanish from the Kolkata roads altogether. However, the latest news now says that Yellow taxis are going to come back with a twist of modernity. New Yellow-painted Maruti Suzuki WagonRs will now be introduced as cabs by the West Bengal government and private company NA Mobility, under the banner 'Heritage Cabs.
What Are Kolkata's Heritage Cabs?
As of now, Maruti has rolled out 20 units of the iconic Yellow-painted version of the Maruti Wagon R, with inspiration from the bygone Ambassador. The cars have been festooned with decals showcasing Kolkata's famous landmarks: Howrah Bridge and Victoria Memorial. Additional features would include air conditioning, seat belts, and airbags. These would run in dual mode- fuel CNG and petrol, thus tipping the scales in favor of greener production.
Like the Yellow Ambassadors of the past, these too sport-illuminated 'TAXI' boards mounted on top of them.
Heritage Cabs are app-based. You can book these through the government's 'Yatri Sathi' app. All of these cutting-edge gray and yellow cabs will have experienced drivers who most likely owned Yellow Ambassadors before in life.
The government is proposing to introduce approximately 150 Yellow WagonR Heritage cabs over the next few months. The numbers are expected to reach 1000 by the end of the year.
Most OG Yellow cabbies consider themselves part of the city's rich heritage, which they really are, while these additional cabs would add even more pride and confidence to nostalgia for our travelers.
NA Mobility's Business Model
This company's business model sounds fresh and untried. It is associated with Maruti Suzuki and is buying cars in bulk to then rent them out to drivers who have to pay rents every day to the company but are saved from upfront investment (or in EMIs) in acquiring these cars.
Throwback to Golden Times
The Yellow Ambassadors, along with their bright paint, chatty drivers, and taking on the sharpest of turns, constitute the city's souvenir. The first taxi came in 1908. It used to charge 8 annas then (1 anna about 6 paise) for a ride per mile. In 1962, the Calcutta Taxi Association accepted Hindustan Ambassador as the model for all Calcutta taxis.
It would be the visibility factor after sunset that would see Taxis in Kolkata painted Yellow. Decades later would come the digital era and app-based cab-hailing. This marked the gradual demise of the metered taxis. Government-set guidelines and pollution controls meant that they would, after all, soon go.
With the downfall of Hindustan Motors (HM), there would thus be no successor nor replacement to the Ambassadors. It is about time now to move on to modern (and safer) options and keep these original 'Peeli Taxi' in cherished memories...
#KolkataTaxis #YellowTaxi #TransportHistory #CityCulture #TaxiRevival
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