New yellow taxis on the roads of Kolkata, old Ambassador cars will be history
Yellow Taxis: The yellow taxis, which have become the identity of Kolkata, are now gradually decreasing. In the last few years, the number of yellow taxis in Kolkata was decreasing rapidly.
The yellow taxis, once the face of Kolkata, are now gradually decreasing in number. In this context, the West Bengal government launched a fleet of 20 new yellow taxis in collaboration with a private company. But this time the taxis are not Hindustan Ambassador-based, but Maruti Suzuki WagonR model-based.
Over the last few years, the number of yellow taxis in Kolkata has declined at a rapid pace. Due to the introduction of app-based taxi companies like Ola-Uber and the lack of newer facilities (like AC) in the older Ambassador model, they fell out of favor. Apart from this, the days of diesel-powered Ambassador cars are also over, due to which it was thought best to retire them.
This change is happening under the 2009 order of the Calcutta High Court, which said that commercial vehicles older than 15 years will not run in Kolkata and Howrah. Till three years ago, more than 20,000 Ambassador Yellow taxis were on the roads, but by the end of 2025, their number will be less than 2,000. They will be completely discontinued by 2027-28.
These new yellow taxis, built on the Maruti Suzuki WagonR model, have been named "Yellow Heritage Cabs". West Bengal Transport Minister Snehasish Chakraborty flagged them off. According to a report, 3,000 new yellow taxis will hit the roads in the next two months. All these taxis will be equipped with modern features, which were not in the old Ambassador vehicles.
The new WagonR taxis will run on petrol and CNG, making them more economical and environmentally friendly. To book these, the West Bengal government has launched the "Yatri Sathi App", through which people will be able to plan their journey easily.
