Mumbai bids farewell to the Premier Padmini cabs, marking the end of an era
The notable Premier Padmini cabs aka kaali-peeli taxis of Mumbai will be formally removed from the roadways on Monday, thus no longer being a part of Mumbai’s transportation system, leaving all the transport enthusiasts heavy-hearted.
The last Premier Padmini cab was registered in 2003, thus ending its 20-year age limit. Saddened by the farewell of these taxis, transport enthusiasts demand to preserve at least one taxi in the museum, preserving one of the icons of Mumbai. The Premier Padmini four-wheelers have been an essential part of this city’s life for the past 60 years, and now they are older than the legal age limit of 20 years set by the authorities for cars operating on public roads.
Premier Padmini is not the only reason which leaves travel enthusiasts saddened, as it was followed by the farewell of another Mumbai icon – the red BEST double-decker buses, which were discontinued on September 15.
According to a TOI report, Abdul Kareem Karsekar, who owns the last registered Premier Padmini – (MH-01-JA-2556), said, “Yeh Mumbai ki shaan hai aur hamari jaan hai”. He further added that the lack of replacement components makes it tough to maintain the car, but if the government allows it, he still wants to keep his cab on his own dime.
Anand Mahindra, Chairperson of the Mahindra Group tweeted on 30th October contributing his thoughts on this departure, “From today, the iconic Premier Padmini Taxi vanishes from Mumbai’s roads. They were clunkers, uncomfortable, unreliable, noisy. Not much baggage capacity either. But for people of my vintage, they carry tons of memories. And they did their job of getting us from point A to point B. Goodbye and alvida, kaali-peeli taxis. Thank you for the good times.”
From today, the iconic Premier Padmini Taxi vanishes from Mumbai’s roads. They were clunkers, uncomfortable, unreliable, noisy. Not much baggage capacity either. But for people of my vintage, they carried tons of memories. And they did their job of getting us from point A to… pic.twitter.com/weF33dMQQc
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) October 30, 2023
Premier Padmini had been on a remarkable journey as it was inaugurated in the year 1964 with the ‘Fiat-1100 Delight’. In the 1970s, the model underwent a rebranding, being renamed ‘Premier President’ and later ‘Premier Padmini’ in honor of the famous Indian queen Rani Padmini.
