Mumbai's first fleet taxi service grounded after four years

Four years ago, in a much-publicised inauguration ceremony held on an hot October day, the then-chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had flagged off Mumbai’s first fleet taxi service.

Since it was the first service provider to be launched under the transport department’s much-touted ‘Fleet Taxi Scheme,’ the Mumbai Gold Cabs service was widely regarded as a path-breaking development that would change the experience of taxi travel in Mumbai for commuters harassed by gruelling travel in the old, rickety black-and-yellow cabs.

In fact, a much-optimistic Arun Sabnis — the brain behind Mumbai Gold Cabs — had estimated that by December 2006, the company’s fleet size would jump to a massive 600.

Four years later, as it turns out, the existence of the company itself has been challenged.

Sources in the transport department told DNA that the license given to Mumbai Gold Cabs to run fleet taxi services in the city has been cancelled as the company has flouted many norms, some of which include operating 500 taxis in the first six months of functioning (the company has only about 125-odd taxis in its fleet even four years after the launch), paying tax on its vehicles (the company has more than 100 taxis whose taxes have not been paid) and ensuring renewal of permits on time (more than 50 permits have not been renewed yet).

“We gave him (Sabnis) more than two years to rectify his errors but he hasn’t. We have now sent him a letter informing him about the cancellation of his license,” said a transport department official.

Curiously though, some Mumbai Gold Fleet taxis can still be hailed on the city’s streets and one can still book a ride on them through the toll-free number.

When DNA asked state transport commissioner Dilip Jadhav about it, he said he would confirm if the letter had been received by Sabnis.

Arun Sabnis told DNA that he had received the letter, and that he would appeal against the license cancellation in the high court. Sabnis also claimed that on two prior occasions, when he had sought to pay the taxes for his vehicles, the transport department had not accepted the tax money since the permits hadn’t been renewed. “But, they wouldn’t renew the permits, either.”

When asked why the transport department had not renewed permits, he alleged, “They want to stifle my company since we haven’t paid any bribes.” For now, Sabnis has written a letter to the transport minister, transport commissioner and a few top officials in the state government asking them to explain the lacunae in operations of Mumbai Gold Cabs for which the license has been cancelled, and also arrange for a hearing so that he can be given a chance to explain his side.

He claimed that the transport department had not sent him any notice about the violation of norms before sending the license cancellation letter.