25,000 yellow & black taxis on mobile app from May-end

Come May-end, Mumbaikars will be able to book their Kaali-Peeli taxis on a mobile application. The application-based taxis, at least 25,000, will be identified with a colour scheme of orange and white.

Drivers running these taxis will have to get their new licences and badges from the city transport commissioner’s office. The government took this decision under the new Maharashtra City Taxi Scheme 2017 to bring all private and kaalipeeli taxis under one umbrella.

The app will be designed in three months.

“According to the new colour scheme issued by the government, the application-based taxis will be painted orange on the lower side and white on the upper side. The remaining Kaali Peeli taxis can also join the application based taxis without changing colour,” said L Quadros, general secretary of Mumbai Taximan Union.

This new initiative was taken because revenues of Kaali Peeli taxis dropped by 50% due to app-based taxis like Ola and Uber.

“Earlier, we used to earn at least Rs 1,200 on a daily basis. Now, we earn just Rs 600 a day which is not enough,” said KK Tiwari, president of SwabimaanTaxi Rickshaw Union.

“Passengers prefer Ola and Uber taxis as they are booked on the mobile application and they can board from their doorstep. This could be the reason why passengers now avoid yellow taxis,” said Tiwari.

The city has a total of 30 lakh yellow-and-black taxis at present.