This article was originally published on August 8, 2020 and has been republished on October 30, 2023 – the last day Mumbai’s kaali-peelis are on the road.
Amidst so many tales of grit, determination and the will to survive, in this landmark year 2020, comes the death knell for one of the most integral parts of Mumbai ‘s landscape and cultural fabric – the Fiat or Padmini taxi, or as we lovingly came to call it, ‘kaali peeli’.
In a country like India where in the 21st century there are still just 22 cars per 1000 people, the job to be the wheels of the nation fall squarely on the burdened shoulders of public transport, which of course includes taxicabs.
With the new-fangled ‘horseless-carriage’ being introduced in Bombay at the turn of the last century, enterprising individuals wasted no time in setting up private taxi services, a given, considering the prohibitive cost of purchasing and owning a private motorcar. Bombay’s boundaries were continually expanding, and taxis of all shapes and sizes were added every day.
A 1962 Fiat Super Select taxi, the last Italian taxi plying on Mumbai roads in 2007. Photo: Karl Bhote
A 1962 Fiat Super Select taxi, the last Italian taxi plying on Mumbai roads in 2007. Photo: Karl Bhote
By the 1940s and 50s, there were two categories of automobiles plying as taxis – ‘Badi taxi’ or large taxi (usually Dodges, Plymouths, Chevrolets and other six to eight seater American cars) and the delightfully named ‘Baby taxi’ (comprising of smaller, more economical European cars like the Hillman Minx, Ford Prefects, Austin A40 and Morris Minors). They had a differential fare – historian Deepak Rao says in 1948 the fare was 10 annas for the big taxi and 6 annas for the baby taxi. A majority of taxi drivers would be Sardarjis, newly arrived after Partition, who could always be trusted for their honesty and hard work.
By 1954 a new car was launched by Premier Automobiles Ltd. (PAL) under licence from Fiat, Italy, one of legendary industrialist Walchand Hirachand’s many exploits. The new Fiat Millecento or 1100 would soon go on to be the country’s most popular car for decades to come. Its compact and almost cute curvy lines did a terrific job of concealing a surprisingly spacious interior. These roly-poly looks earned the car the rather unflattering but fond nickname ‘dukkar’ or pig – an unmistakably ‘bambaiya’ term.
The four-cylinder 1100cc engine proved to be totally reliable and efficient, yet with enough pep and torque to keep up with anything that the city streets could subject it to. The car may have been designed as a four seater, but we all have memories of entire families of 6 or more piling into the trusty Fiat with a full complement of luggage, usually overflowing from the boot and carrier on the roof.
Kaali peeli fiat taxis in Mumbai. Photo: Karl Bhote
Soon taxi drivers realised there was no better car suited for the daily drudgery and hardships their cabs had to go through and all other competing models slowly faded away. At its peak in the 1990s, Bombay had over 55,000 cabs plying, with almost all of them being Fiats, made by Premier Automobiles. The landscape of most major cities the world over is identified by the hordes of cabs plying busy streets – London has its iconic black cabs, New York its bright orange Checker cabs, and Bombay, later Mumbai would now be known for their black and yellow Fiats, or ‘kaali peelis’.
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The black and yellow was so closely linked with Bombay that the film industry periodically paid tribute to it by using it in their films, and occasionally even the centre piece of the story – Dev Anand in and as Taxi Driver, Mehmood’s beloved Laila in Sadhu aur Shaitan, Amitabh’s favourite Basanti in Khud-daar. Gaman, Hanste Zakhm, Taxi Taxi all have had cabbies as the protagonist. Everyone in the city had a cabbie story-of safely coming home late at night, of garrulous cabbies (or grouchy ones) and of catching a few, private romantic moments in a taxi.
A Super Select Fiat. Photo: The Wire
The Fiat 1100 received regular facelifts and updates over the years, though its DNA remained unchanged. In 1956 the characteristic but short-lived central fog-light was introduced and 1958 saw the introduction of elegant tail fins in keeping with global trends. By 1965, an all new but still familiar design came into the market, which did away with the unpractical suicide front doors (so named since the rear-hinged front doors had a tendency to swing open while on the move, with disastrous results). The new model was named the Delight, and this basic shape would remain in production unchanged from 1965 for well over 30 years.
Premier Automobiles’ licence with Fiat would come to an end by 1972, and subsequently, the car was rebadged the Premier President later that year. In January 1975 with some cosmetic upgrades, the car was relaunched as the Premier Padmini, named after the 14th century Mewar princess. It remains perhaps the only mass-produced car in India to have carried such a distinctly Indian name. Sales grew from strength to strength, given that the competition was rather scarce – there weren’t any real options other than the larger Hindustan Ambassador. Somehow Bombay did not take to the bulky Ambassador – it just didn’t fit in with the city’s ethos nor the roads. While it was popular in its hometown of Calcutta, and Delhi, where it was favoured by politicians and bureaucrats, Mumbai was clearly Fiat country.
Sangeeta Bijlani in a brochure for Premier Padmini. Photo: Karl Bhote
PAL understood the value of the taxi trade, and always supplied taxi cars at more competitive prices – they also saw it as their efforts towards nation building – there were lakhs of livelihoods dependant on them. By December 1976 air conditioned taxis were first introduced, and October 1989 saw the first diesel Padmini taxis rolling off the line. But the same tried and tested Padmini in standard form would soldier on right up to the late 1990s – it wasn’t unusual for these cars to have covered lakhs of kilometres with minimal maintenance.
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Most cabs were now decorated with bright elements as per the cabbies fancy. The seats had bright multi-coloured covers, the inside roof lining usually adorned with floral patterns, and fluorescent blue and green lighting was added which almost gave the interiors the look of a seedy bar at night. These design elements soon became the signature of Mumbai cabs, much like the local motifs seen on trucks pan India. The characteristic hum and whine of gear changes as a bunch of cabs pulled away from every traffic light, jostling for space, was now intrinsic to Mumbai.
A brochure for Premier Padmini in the mid-70s. Photo: Karl Bhote
A For Hire advert was published in a 1979 issue of the Premier Automobiles Journal. Photo: Karl Bhote
Naturally, years of back breaking service would start to take a toll on these machines and an uncertain future loomed with the threat of legislation changes around the corner. Many taxi drivers were now weary of spending more and more money on refurbishment, and these run down taxis were soon becoming the butt of all jokes, with passengers gradually preferring to ride in more modern Marutis and Hyundais that were fast taking over. Emission and safety norms became much more strict, and the Padmini couldn’t keep up on that front. Years of monopoly perhaps brought in a sense of complacency, though to be fair there was only so much one could extract from what was by then such an archaic design and technology.
All good things must come to an end – the government mandated that taxis over 20 years old had to be de-registered and 2020 will see the very last of the Padmini taxis fade away. A couple have been saved by private collectors for novelty, one even stands proudly on display in Delhi’s Heritage Transport Museum. One would have hoped that a handful would have been allowed to be retained as Heritage Taxis perhaps in the tourist friendly parts of South Bombay, but alas, it seems it isn’t meant to be.
By and large, the Fiat taxi will only live on in the hearts of lakhs of Mumbaikars as their beloved, dependable and trusted kaali peeli. The final destination has arrived.
Karl Bhote is a keen vintage and classic car enthusiast, with a particular fondness for India’s automotive history.
