New initiative to save 'yellow taxi' from extinction

• March 28, 2023

Yellow-taxi like 'Rabindra Setu', 'Shaheed Minar' or 'Victoria Memorial Hall' bear no doubt about the heritage of Kolkata. But, this time it seems that some of that tradition is going to be lost. In the news, due to environmental pollution, a large part of Kolkata Yellow Taxi (Kolkata Yellow Taxi) running in Kolkata and suburbs will be abandoned as unusable within the next two years.

The Supreme Court of India had banned the plying of expired petrol-diesel vehicles several years ago. According to that directive, a large number of vehicles across the country had to replace their old engines or scrap them. Almost all of the yellow-taxi plying in Kolkata are 'Ambassador' vehicles manufactured by the Hindustan Motor Company. The company no longer makes the 'Ambassador' cars, and all the engines of the previous cars will expire in 15 years by 2025.

Many stakeholders, including the Bengal Taxi Union, have welcomed the proposal but expressed concern that how many taxi-owners will be able to afford the huge cost of converting vehicles from diesel to EV engines.

Conversion to solar powered battery cars can be considered. In the past decade, advanced solar-powered cars have hit the market. Administration, taxi unions and taxi-owners can think about it.

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