CNG yellow taxis to ply on Kolkata's roads soon

Around 150 eco-friendly CNG taxis painted in the classic yellow colour with blue border will soon ply the roads of Kolkata, a transport official said on Friday.

An MoU in this regard was signed between the state government and the operator of the service on Thursday, the last day of the two-day Bengal Global Business Summit, he said.

The move is aimed at preventing yellow taxis from going off the city roads and providing all modern amenities keeping in mind the expectations and demands of the city commuters in an economical manner, the official said.

"We want to sustain the drivers of metered diesel yellow taxis, the life expectancy of which is nearing deadline, by inducting them into this initiative," the official said.

A representative of the company told PTI, "While in the near future, 150 eco-friendly taxis running on green fuel (CNG) will hit the city streets, and will be available on the Yatri Sathi app of the state government, the firm also plans to consistently add more vehicles to the fleet every month."

Transport Secretary Saumitra Mohan said four MoUs to the tune of ₹1,575 crore investment were inked at BGBS between the department and four firms.

Apart from retaining the yellow taxis, the three other MoUs pertained to introducing 'pink taxis' -- driven by women and meant for women commuters only -- and 'rent a bike' -- introducing a fleet of electric bikes -- and cruise tourism, Mohan told PTI.

The amount of investment for yellow taxis was not spelt out separately.

Around 1,500 metered yellow taxis in West Bengal would be phased out by the end of next year as commercial vehicles older than 15 years are not allowed to ply the city roads, transport department sources said.

There are around 4,500 Ambassador metered yellow taxis in the state which will come down to 3,000 by the end of 2026, they said.

In 2008, Calcutta High Court had ordered that commercial vehicles older than 15 vehicles would not be allowed to ply the city roads.

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