Mumbai’s iconic ‘Kaali Peeli’ taxi which has served the people of this city for the last 60 years goes off-road from today. When Uber Ola did not exist, it was Kaali Peeli that took people to their destinations. Ask any Mumbaikar and they will have an interesting story associated with it. In a very sweet post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), industrialist Anand Mahindra bids the taxi goodbye as he reminisces about the good times.
Anand Mahindra Says Goodbye To Mumbai’s ‘Kaali Peeli’
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
Business tycoon Anand Mahindra, in a very heartfelt note, expressed his love for Mumbai’s ‘Kaali Peeli’ taxi. He posted a picture of the iconic ‘Premier Padmini’ taxi on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and remembered the old good times.
He described the taxis as “noisy, clunkers, unrealisable, and uncomfortable, with not much baggage capacity”. But he also mentioned how, for the people of his time, this taxi carried millions of memories. He said that the vintage cars served their purpose of helping passengers reach from point A to point B.
While ending the post, he said “Goodbye and Alvida ” to this six-decade-old service in Mumbai. He was also grateful to these taxis for all the lovely memories they gave him throughout the years.
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Netizens Too Shared Their Memories
Dev Anand and The Premier Padmini …
Yeh hai Bombay Meri Jaan .. Change is the Law of Nature. pic.twitter.com/S196cXdeKS— Ravi Rana (@RaviRRana) October 30, 2023
This picture posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) by Anand Mahindra has by far garnered over 342.6K views and over 7.4K likes.
Above all, the drivers were professional and honest. They knew the roads, went by the shortest route, by the meter (unlike their Delhi counterparts), even for the shortest distance and never overcharged the customers. And they were omnipresent across Mumbai.
Adieu, black and…— Ashok Bijalwan अशोक बिजल्वाण 🇮🇳 (@AshTheWiz) October 30, 2023
Netizens couldn’t help but post their favourite memories about the ‘Kaali Peeli’ taxis. From old pictures to heartfelt notes, the comments section was full of people sharing their memorable ‘Kaali Peeli’ stories from Mumbai.
They may have been clunkers, but they were a part of Mumbai’s charm and nostalgia. End of an era, but the memories they carried will forever stay in people’s heart. ❤️💫
— Swapnil Srivastav (@theswapnilsri) October 30, 2023
One user mentioned how the drivers of these iconic cars were super honest and would take the shortest route. He also said that they never overcharged. Another user called the ‘Kaali peeli’ a complete vibe. One of the netizens said that though they were clunkers, they were a part of Mumbai’s charm and nostalgia.
I agree with you but if you’ve to be a modern and developed country…. we should go away with them….. Europe has mostly Mercedes-Benz Taxis and we were still living in old age!!
— Anjali Live Trading (@anjaliramancap) October 30, 2023
Many users in the comment sections asked Mahindra if he had any plans to revive this model, as they would love to see it back on the roads with new features. While some mentioned that such dismissals are important for the nation’s development, Others spoke about how they still miss double-decker red buses too.
Really will miss this and the red double decker a lot. It defined Bombay and also India in many ways 💔.
— Rohit Aryan (@RohitAryannn) October 30, 2023
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Age Restriction Of 20 Years
Journey from Bombay to Mumbai. End of an era. pic.twitter.com/xtoAPzqSNV
— Dr. Rahul Baxi (@baxirahul) October 30, 2023
The final Premier Padmini was registered as a black-and-yellow cab at the Tardeo RTO, which oversees Mumbai, the island metropolis, on October 29, 2003, according to a transport department official. Since the city’s taxi age restriction is 20 years old, Mumbai will officially be without a Premier Padmini taxi starting today.
The car which helped us to learn driving and make memories 🚕🚗🚓#premier#padmini pic.twitter.com/4pHlhgm6su
— santak (@santak) October 30, 2023
This change occurred soon after the fleet of public transporter Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) began to phase out the last of its iconic diesel-powered double-decker buses, as their 15-year operational life was coming to an end.
Mumbai’s transportation fans are devastated by the sudden retirement of two once-essential and commonplace public transit vehicles in a matter of weeks, and others are calling for the preservation of at least one “Premier Padmini.”
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Share your fav memories in the comments below!
Cover Image Courtesy: @anandmahindra/X (formerly Twitter)
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