The Past and the Present of Indian Taxis

Taxis are a very important part of the Indian car market. Taxis or cabs are a favourite means of present day public transport. These taxis allow a small number of passengers to travel together. The taxi can also be hired by one person for personal use.

The number of taxis as a means of public transport is growing gradually lately. Many of the companies in the IT sector provide cab services to its employees for commuting. Hence it is an ever growing demand for taxis in the Indian car market. Many people are converting their personal cars to taxis and doing a good business. There are a number of car hiring agencies to provide taxi services 24/7.

The diesel version of the Tata Indica is the mostly commonly used taxi in recent times in India. It is a mode of private transport especially in metros of Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai especially engaged by companies for commuting their employees. The Turbo engine in the Tata cars makes the car fuel economic. The Indica V2 and Indica Turbo are the widely used variant of Indica as taxi.

The erstwhile Premier Padmini can be still seen plying on the streets of Mumbai as taxis. This car is commonly seen painted in yellow and black now in the taxi-avatar. The Premier Padmini came from factory of Premier Automobile Ltd in Mumbai till 1997. The car comes with a 1,089 cc engine and the car is known for its great fuel efficiency. Though the car is not very spacious, it can still have space for four persons comfortably. But the Premier Padmini is not suitable of long distance travel; it is a city car and is apt for small distance only. Premier Padmini is been still used widely as taxi. Many of these Premier Padmini taxis in Mumbai run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for better fuel efficiency.

The truly Indian car, the Hindustan Ambassador is also a means of public transportation. In the past, the Ambassador had been used to ferry the politicians in India, and this huge car still continues to be the means of conveyance for some of them.

Ambassadors painted in full yellow as a taxi adorn the streets and roads of Kolkata in large numbers. The Ambassador is made to run on the rough Indian terrain and climatic conditions. The car can accommodate five adults comfortably and the large boot cabin can store ample of goods and belongings. In the 1980s and 90s Indian car buyers didn't have much option to select a car. The Ambassador and the Premier Padmini were the cars seen plying on the roads and Indian of India. It is hard to believe that these cars have lost their charm.