The last trip: Mumbai’s kaali-peeli Fiats will vanish soon... But will live on forever

Mumbai's last few kaali-peeli fiat taxis are running on nostalgia and jugaad - but not for long. (Photo by Ashutosh Patki)

Rais Ahmed (43) gets out of his car as a leaking radiator forces it to a halt. Even though it has ceased to function, his taxi catches the attention of passersby with its shiny bulging headlights, antique-looking luggage rack atop the yellow roof, voguish front bumper, and of course, its vintage feel, which allows it to stand out among other cars.

Ahmed pops the hood and pours turmeric powder into the radiator. He cranks the engine until it heats up and that’s it—the car is ready to run again. His car is one of Mumbai’s last few Fiat taxis, lovingly called ‘kaali peeli’ (black and yellow, because of their livery).

Officially, the car is known as the Premier Padmini—it was manufactured by the now-defunct Premier Automobiles Ltd, part of the Walchand Group, under licence from Fiat (Italy). It was manufactured in India between 1964 and 2000.

In 2020, the Maharashtra government decided to de-register all vehicles that were over 20 years old. The decision was the death knell for the kaali-peeli taxis, with almost all of them forced to retire. Only a handful managed to escape the deadline, perhaps because they were registered after 2000, but they, too, will have to shut their meters permanently by the end of the year.

Rais, a mechanic by profession, bought his fiat taxi two years ago for Rs 30,000. Showing off the blue LED lighting he had fitted inside, he says, “I get calls for multiple video shoots. Recently, my car was featured in a Bank of Baroda advertisement.”

He has mastered all the tricks needed to maintain his vintage Padmini, including putting turmeric into the radiator, as other mechanics know very little about repairing it. The taxi gamely bears all these hacks, unlike today’s cars, and keeps on running. Also, obtaining spare parts is a challenging task. “Such parts are not found in the city but only in Chor Bazaar, and that, too, in specific shops,” says Rais.

The only car he has ever driven is his kaali peeli. Asked about his plans after the car registration expires, he only smiles. But he will lose a key source of income.

Gateway to the city and…dreams

For Laxman Valvekar (48), the Fiat taxi is all about his daughter’s dream of becoming a doctor. By driving it for nearly 22 years, he has taken that dream close to reality.

Talking about the car with pride, he says, “For nearly 60 years this car has ruled Mumbai.” He says it is not unusual for people to wave at him as he drives past, and he enjoys the attention. Valvekar adds that he even has customers who book the taxi for a long drive to relive the good old days.

Asked about one memory that he will always cherish about the car, he says, “I will always miss singing ‘Jaane kahan gaye woh din’ (a song from the Hindi film Mera Naam Joker) while driving the car.”

As it heads into the sunset, the taxi has left him a parting gift: thanks to the money it has helped him earn, his daughter will become a doctor in the coming years.

Mumbai, Bollywood and Kareem’s taxi

“There's a film coming up on (gangster) Dawood Ibrahim, which has featured my car. Katrina Kaif and Manoj Bajpayee have sat in this car for a shoot and Alia Bhatt has danced on its carrier,” says Abdul Kareem (58), flaunting his kaali peeli’s Bollywood connections.

The taxi is also a testament to his enduring friendship with Laxman. When they learnt that Fiat taxis would be barred from 2023, they sat on the bonnet together and sang a Bollywood song: “Bane chahe dushman jamana humara, salamat rahe dostana humara” (Our friendship must remain strong, even if the entire world is against us). Kareem believes that the last few Fiat taxis should be allowed to operate at least as heritage vehicles, as they are the city's pride.

It may vanish soon, but the kaali-peeli will forever be hyphenated with Mumbai and hold a special place in the hearts of Mumbaikars.