Brand new AC cabs hit city roads

It may be winter but the state transport department decided to launch a new fleet of air-conditioned taxis to cater to the "growing demand".

KOLKATA: It may be winter but the state transport department decided to launch a new fleet of air-conditioned taxis to cater to the "growing demand". While inaugurating the first fleet of AC taxis at Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday, state transport minister Subhas Chakraborty said 300 such cabs will ply the roads initially. "This AC taxi is a step forward in our efforts to meet the demand for quality public service. For the time being, special taxi counters will be set up at Howrah and Sealdah stations, at the airport and at Karunamoyee in Salt Lake. We are trying to introduce these taxis at the Maidan and other places in phases," he said. At present, nearly 20,000 non-AC taxis, all Ambassadors, are plying the roads. Passengers, riding these metered yellow taxis, have the option of not using the AC. In case of using the AC, the fare would be a nominal 25% more than the non-AC meter fare. It means that if the meter counts Rs 10, one would have to pay Rs 25 instead of the normal rate of Rs 20. Hindustan Motors (HM) executive vice-president Moloy Chowdhury said keeping customer comfort and convenience in mind, these AC taxis will comply with the BS-III emission norms with the Ambassador Grand exterior. "Permits for 200 AC taxis have already been obtained," he added. The taxis would have a red stripe running across the body and AC Taxi painted on the front doors. The cabs come with an improved mileage and have five-speed gear box of Japanese-make. Chowdhury further stated that HM is planning to re-introduce LPG taxis in the city. "We had earlier introduced LPG taxis but it was not successful for non-availability of fuel. Now, many LPG outlets have come up and fuel supply will not be a problem." At present, HM manufactures over 1,000 Ambassadors per month at its Uttarpara factory. Regarding the issue of auto-rickshaws switching over to LPG, Chakraborty said all future auto-rickshaws would run on LPG. "The state government is giving a subsidy of Rs 5,000 per autos for converting into LPG."

Add to: del.icio.us | Digg