After serving its 20-year tenure, the Premier Padmini taxi owned by a Prabhadevi driver retired on Sunday, marking the end of the iconic vehicle's run in the city. For sixty years, these black and yellow taxis, or "Kaali-Peelis," have been an essential component of Mumbai's identity, earning them the moniker "Mumbai ki shaan" (pride of Mumbai).
Mumbai commuters remembered that BEST's non-AC double-decker diesel buses departed in mid-September, and that the Padminis' October 29 withdrawal marks the "end of an era" for these two omnipresent and iconic modes of transportation in the city.
Abdul Kareem Karsekar, a resident of Prabhadevi, who owns Mumbai's last officially registered Premier Padmini taxi, spoke with emotion as he said, "I have been operating this taxi for the past 20 years and have seen thousands of happy and content customers." Actually, there were very few Padminis left to assist commuters after they started to vanish from city roadways in significant numbers starting in 2020. But even though we were small in number, we were the stars," he asserted, recalling that whenever he pulled over at a light, passersby would ask about the "good old days" in the Padminis.
A few months ago, an affluent businessman from Dadar changed from his air-conditioned car to his non-air-conditioned taxi for a nostalgic drive. While some office goers booked this taxi for their daily commute to work in Worli, a resident of Prabhadevi hired it for the day to take pictures of their elderly parents riding in their favorite taxi.
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"My cab is a 'filmi' star as well. The 58-year-old cab driver told TOI that he intended to use the car as a private vehicle after it was deregistered as a taxi. "Katrina has sat in it, Alia has danced on the carrier, Manoj Bajpayee has shot a scene in the cab, and it was also hired for shooting a film based on underworld don Dawood Ibrahim," the driver said. He has been able to support his family and educate his three sons—one of whom is an engineer—thanks to the taxi.
According to city historian Deepak Rao, commuters have been using Padmini taxis since the 1960s, when the minimum ride distance was 38 paise. "We had Austin and Hillman 'chhota' taxis, with an affordable fare of six annas, prior to the Padminis showing up. The minimum fare for the Dodge or "bada" taxi was 10 annas. However, the Padmini vehicle made its debut as the Fiat 1100 Delight in 1964, and in 1965 it was initially renamed Premier President. The car was renamed in 1974 in honor of Padmini, the Rajput queen of Mewar," he said.
Nitin Dossa, chairman of the Vintage and Classic Car Club of India, remarked, "It was a depressing day. Fiat automobiles were the best for a while, and as long as parts are still available, they should last another ten years. One of the three classic Fiat cars I own is a Padmini." According to him, the government needs to think about setting up a museum where the Padmini automobile can be seen by future generations.
Gaurang Vora, a resident of Sion, commented, "It was a spacious and low maintenance car."
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