Fiat Premier Padmini Taxis begin going off Mumbai roads

Black and yellow garbed Premier Padmini taxis have been an indelible part of the Mumbai urban scape for nearly 5 decades. These cars, built by Premier Automobiles Limited, under license from Fiat, at the Kurla factory in Mumbai have been ferrying commuters in the economic capital of the country even in the face of modern competition. A recent rule made by the Maharashtra government, ousting all taxis older than 20 years off Mumbai roads has meant that black and yellow Fiat cabs will begin rolling off city streets.

The permits for taxi-cabs older than 20 years old will not be renewed in Mumbai, in what seems to be a move aimed at reducing air pollution levels in the city. Older vehicles, especially those used for commercial purposes as goods and people movers, are known to emit higher levels of tail pipe emissions than new vehicles. Many Indian cities have been actively legislating for the non-issuance of yearly permits to older commercial vehicles in order to reduce air pollution levels. 

The Premier Padmini, initially known as the Fiat 1100 D, was based on the Fiat 1200 GrandLuce Berlina. The car began production at Premier's Kurla factory in 1964. The last Premier Padmini rolled off the assembly line in the year 2000. This means that the Premier Padmini has been around on Mumbai roads for a full 49 years since the commencement of production. At its peak, nearly 62,000 Premier Padmini taxis plied on Mumbai's, then known as Bombay, roads.

Now though, the advent of newer cars such as the Maruti Omni, WagonR and the Alto has meant that the Premier Padmini taxis have been slowly relegated to scrap yards and collector lists. Currently, there are about 9,500 Premier Padmini taxis operating in Mumbai, a number that is expected to fall to 4,500 by the end of the year as the older taxis go off the road. Next year, more Premier Padmini taxis will begin going off the road and over the next few years, the last of these iconic symbols of Mumbai will cease to operate. 

According to report carried by the LiveMint, a similar fate awaits the Hindustan Ambassador in Kolkata as the government of the day in the state of West Bengal has decided to allow other car makers to ply their wares in the meter taxi market. While Tata Motors's Indigo and Maruti Suzuki's WagonR car models have already been allowed to operate as meter-taxis in Kolkata, the government's latest move to open up this market is expected to see more involvement from car makers seeking to make inroads into the meter-taxi segment of one of India's oldest metropolitan cities.