Kolkata bans Ambassador taxis: A local's frank opinion on the matter

The West Bengal Govt should keep a few Yellow Taxis for display for any kind of heritage ride! The same goes for the Trams!

BHPian Samba recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

First, the iconic Tram was withdrawn, & now slowly the Yellow Ambassador taxis will go off the road. All good things come to an end. Even the Kali Peeli Padminis were taken off from the roads of Mumbai.

We might have a lot of sentimental attachments to these cars, but in reality, most of these taxis have no AC, are poorly maintained, are unreliable, not very comfortable for the driver, and are quite slow. The new Dzires are way more efficient than these old cabs. However one can still argue with the unbeatable rear seat comfort of the Ambassadors. A few of them come with an AC, & a non-AC cab nowadays is actually uncomfortable. I am not getting into the NVH and other aspects.

When I drive my car and get behind an Ambassador cab in traffic, it really gets frustrating and eventually I have to change the lane and overtake it to reach a decent speed. A 35 Bhp car with a weight of 1500+ kg is in no way acceptable at today's date.

But then, the West Bengal Govt should keep a few Yellow Taxis for display for any kind of heritage ride! The same goes for the Trams!

But still, these cabs are a photographer's delight! Clicked them during Durga Puja a month back.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.