‘Didn’t know my journey as yellow taxi driver would not be as good’

“I saw Ramesh uncle, a family friend, driving taxis on Kolkata roads. He started with one taxi and had four in a matter of a few years. He built his own house back in Bihar. But little did I know that my journey as a yellow taxi driver would not be as good,” says Rai.

Rai, who never went to school and does not use a smartphone, adds, “What about people like us? Even if you teach me, I can’t use a smartphone. What shall I do? One day, I went to the Howrah station and they explained to me a new government app. I tried but I couldn’t.” About his daily earnings, Rai says it at times is not more than Rs 300-400.

“Since morning, I got only one passenger and it is already 3pm,” he rues.

Rai’s family stays in Begusarai of north Bihar and his wife Dhanwantri Devi, a homemaker, takes care of their four children who study in a government-aided school.
“Earlier, I used to send good money back home but now I am hardly able to save anything. I somehow manage to send money that is enough for my family to meet their monthly expenses. The situation for taxi drivers like us is very bad. I will go back to Bihar and will find out some other work using my driving skills or will work as a labourer if yellow taxis go off the road completely in Kolkata,” Rai says.

The last time the taxi fares in Bengal were revised was in 2014 when the minimum fare was fixed at Rs 30 from Rs 25 earlier.

Currently, the taxi fare is Rs 12.5 per kilometre.

Rai says that taxi fares remained unchanged for more than eight years while the cost of maintenance of the vehicle has increased drastically, making it difficult for drivers like him to ferry passengers on meter.

“It is very difficult for us. Passengers pay lots of money to app-based cabs but find it offensive when we ask for Rs 20-30 extra. After paying for diesel and traffic fines (mostly over pollution-related documents) we are left with almost nothing…says Rai.

If the government wants yellow taxis to keep running on Kolkata roads they better convert them into electric vehicles,” Rai further says.