Kolkata Bids Farewell to Yellow Taxis: 4,500 Taxis Will Be Taken Off the Roads

Because they have exceeded their 15-year service limit, nearly 4,500 of Kolkata’s 7,000-strong fleet of recognizable yellow metered taxis will be removed from service this year. Like the Howrah Bridge and the Victoria Memorial, the yellow Ambassador taxi, which was formerly also yellow and black, has been associated with Kolkata for decades, according to a Times of India report.

In the past, they were the only cabs in Kolkata. However, their popularity began to diminish with the arrival of cab applications in 2015. At the beginning of 2024, the majority of the city’s 7,000 surviving yellow metered taxis were outdated cars. At some point during the year, 4,493 (64 percent) of them would be phased out for exceeding the 15-year service limit, according to the state transport agency.
The Calcutta High Court declared in 2008 that no commercial vehicle older than 15 years could operate on municipal highways, according to a transport department official. A vehicle’s permit and fitness certificate cannot be renewed after it reaches this age restriction.

In addition to the 4,493 metered yellow taxis that are being phased out, taxi operators have announced that another 2,500 of these vehicles, primarily Ambassadors from the D and E series, will be retired the following year. This would bring the overall number of metered yellow cabs down to less than 3,000.

The Bengal cab Association’s joint secretary, Sanjeeb Roy, emphasized the financial burden on cab drivers. He brought up the high expense of purchasing new cabs that comply with BS VI, which can now cost up to ₹8 lakh. He also underlined that the TOI survey indicates that many cabbies are finding it unsustainable to continue in the industry because to the lack of fare increases and growing operating costs.