64 per cent of Kolkata’s iconic taxis to be off the roads by March 2025

Over 64 per cent of the iconic yellow taxis in Kolkata will be off the roads by March 2025 due to the 15-year service limit imposed by the state transport department. As per records of the state transport department currently there are 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 bars vehicles of 15 years old or above from moving on the roads.

These yellow taxis, all Ambassadors, were earlier produced by Hindustan Motors Limited (HML) at the company’s Hind Motor manufacturing unit in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. However, since the company has stopped manufacturing this particular brand, there is no chance of replacement.

There is some disagreement as to the exact year when the yellow taxis were introduced on Kolkata's roads for the first time. Some records of the state transport department say that probably 1908 was the year when the first yellow taxi started operating on the streets of Kolkata, with a per-mile cost being fixed at 50 paise. However, the Calcutta Tax Association adopted the Ambassador as its standard taxi model in 1962.

The clear visibility of the colour even after sunset was the reason for choosing yellow as the colour of the taxis. However, the popularity of the yellow taxis has declined for quite a few years now, with the introduction of app-based cab services that provide better comfort.

However, considering the nostalgia associated with the yellow taxis, the state transport department is trying to work out a formula to keep that reminiscence alive to an extent — or, as far as possible.

“Getting Ambassador models back on the streets is out of the question since the company manufacturing it has stopped the production of this brand now. However, the owners holding the permits of old yellow taxis will be able to get new commercial transport permits against the old ones.

“Thereafter any owner, he or she, whoever wants to get yellow as the colour for that commercial vehicle would be allowed to do that by virtue of special permission from the state transport department.

“However, all these [ideas] are at the drawing-board stage now and need discussions with the taxi associations,” said an official of the state transport department.