After Mumbai’s iconic double-decker buses were taken off the roads, the city is all set to bid farewell to another piece of its history. The city’s famous Kaali-Peeli Premier Padmini Taxi will not be ferrying Mumbaikars around the city from today, i.e., October 30.
After serving Mumbai for over 50 years, these taxis are being taken off the streets because the last operating Premier Padmini has now reached the maximum age limit for cabs in Mumbai, which is 20 years.
Demands continue to preserve at least one ‘Kaali-Peeli’ taxi
It is noteworthy that Mumbai’s iconic black and yellow taxis are being taken off the streets after remaining an integral part of the fast-paced Mumbai life for over five decades. The Premier Padmini story began in 1964 with its ‘Fiat-100 Delight’ model, which was known to be way ahead of its time, featuring a steering-mounted gear shifter and 1200-cc engine.
But Mumbaikars are not yet willing to digest that this decades-long love story is coming to an end. Hence, demands to preserve at least one of these taxis-either on the road itself or in a museum- have multiplied manifold in recent weeks.
One of the hardest goodbyes for Mumbaikars
From Billionaire Anand Mahindra to award-winning Bollywood Actress Shraddha Kapoor, social media is abuzz with heartfelt goodbyes to Mumbai’s Premier Padmini taxi. As for the demands to preserve this piece of the Maximum City’s history, petitions regarding the same have been rejected in the past.
However, social organisations, art collectors, and the city’s prominent citizens say they are hopeful that the administration will preserve the legacy of these iconic taxis in some shape or form.
