Ameasure of the liveability of a city is the quality of its taxi services. If they are clean, safe and dependable it says a lot for the urban experience. But Indian cities don’t rank among the best in the world and it shows in their taxis. Kolkata’s yellow Ambassador taxis are particularly shoddy, having grown ramshackle. They are kept on the road for want of the will to retire them.
Over the years Uber and Ola have come into Kolkata, bringing along a change in colour on the roads from yellow to white and blue. A time it was when all Kolkata taxis used to be trusty Ambassadors. But now new models of cars ply in growing numbers. They could be better maintained, but they are nevertheless modern vehicles.