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Mumbai's cabbies unhappy with planned makeover
By Harish C. Menon, Indo-Asian News Service

Mumbai, Sep 28 (IANS) Mumbai's old era taxis are to be replaced with modern car models in a bid to emulate the highly efficient Singapore cab system, but the cabbies are not happy.

Cabbies say the Maharashtra government should help taxi drivers to upgrade their vehicles and infrastructure instead of dreaming about evolving a Singaporean model overnight. 

"Mumbai and Singapore cannot be compared. Instead, the government should help us upgrade and maintain our vehicles with cheap loans and maintenance benefits," said A.L. Quadros, general secretary of the Mumbai Taximen's Association. 

"Taxi usage in Singapore is based on their standard of living as also the infrastructure that goes behind maintaining that efficient system," Quadros told IANS.

Maharashtra is planning to have the city's entire fleet of 55,000 trademark yellow-and-black Premier Padmini taxis - which first made their presence in the country's financial capital in 1962 - replaced with a world class cab system.

The government is thinking of replacing the cabs with Maruti Zens, Hyundai's Santro, Accent and Elantra models, Ford Ikons and Honda Citys.

A delegation that included Quadros and Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Shyamsunder Shinde went to Singapore to study the taxi system there.

The cabbies here are ranged against the proposed makeover. "Ninety-five percent of Singapore's 22,000 taxis are owned by private companies while 70 percent of taxi users there are locals," said Quadros.

"How many of our Mumbaikars can use a taxi like that, especially if the minimum charge is increased to Rs.25 after the proposed revamp?" he asked.

According to Maharashtra State Road Transport officials, the revamp will include additional taxi terminals, installing taxi booking machines and training of drivers - all of which are prerequisite demands of taxi men. 

Arun Sabnis, managing trustee of Fulora Foundation, a city-based NGO that is implementing the project on behalf of the government, said: "The taxi driver as well as the hirer will benefit from the new system.

"It will not only generate more business but also make the taxis more available and comfortable."

Sabnis reasoned that of the 12-14 hours of work put in every day by a driver, only three to four hours earns him money. 

With the new system he can take home at least Rs.8,000 a month rather than the Rs.5,000 to 6,000 he does now. 

The government is looking to kick-start the project on a pilot basis with 100 cabs in mid-October. 

But with Quadros and his colleagues yet to be convinced, the city's taxis seem to be moving only towards an imminent traffic snarl.