Taxis first made their way to Kolkata’s streets back in 1908. It wasn’t until 1958 that these iconic yellow ambassadors made an appearance. Since then, they’ve been known as the ‘King of Roads’ due to their reliability and perseverance.

While these taxis are iconic and hold a special place in Kolkata’s history, their numbers are sadly dwindling. With the rising usage of Ola and Uber, these taxis are no longer the sole or even preferred mode of public transport. As a result, they are becoming somewhat of an endangered species.

But the city’s iconic yellow taxis may get a fresh lease of life, even beyond their 15-year scrap limit, with the state government drawing up plans to facilitate their conversion to electric vehicles.

Recently during my visit to Kolkata, I got the chance to document these iconic taxi on a photo story.

ANIK DAS

March | 2022
Kolkata, India