Soumi Goswami
Once the king of Kolkata roads, the yellow Ambassador Taxis of Kolkata have become a rare sight now. Earlier the whole gamut of human emotions would run through the wheels of yellow ambassadors. Now, it is only a matter of time till they sink into oblivion.
Riding a yellow ambassador in the ’80s meant richness and pride. The long yellow sunshine parade of yellow taxis outside Howrah Station or the airport was a sight to cherish. Photographers would flock to the Oberoi grand entrance or Victoria Memorial Gate to get that perfect mellow yellow picture of ambassador taxis. The true essence of Kolkata.
Today, the lavish yellow taxis are running out of life on the Kolkata streets. These days, even no refusal metered taxis are Indigo or Swift Dzire. The fate of yellow ambassador taxis is getting hazier. With technology and modernization, the shovel on the grave of these taxis is the taxi drivers themselves. Rude behavior of the taxi drivers towards passengers, frequent strikes, etc. is to hold responsible.
For 56 long years, Hindustan Motors kept the legacy of the ambassador taxis going. They made these heavy machines and pulled through quite well before modernization took over. The company stopped production lately, leaving the yellow taxis to become the thing of the past.
But lucrative the cabby industry becomes, yellow ambassador taxis continue to have a legacy of their own. These taxis offer comfort and luxury while running as smooth as rainfall through the pothole-laden roads of Kolkata.
Take a ride while you still can when you are out on the road (after the pandemic). Because it won’t be too long that these taxis bid adieu to the roads of Kolkata.
