In an effort to revive the iconic yellow taxis which are dwindling in numbers with time, the West Bengal government in association with a private company, has launched a fleet of 20 modern cars. The hatchback cars were flagged off by the state transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty on Friday.

The transport secretary, Soumitra Mohan, and other officials were also present on the occasion.

Christened ‘Yellow Heritage Cabs’, the fleet is likely to evoke the nostalgia and emotions surrounding the iconic yellow taxis which have been an integral part of the city for many years.

According to a transport department official 3,000 such cabs hit the streets in two months.

The private company has entered into an agreement with a leading automobile company to launch the new yellow taxis in the city.

All the taxis will have modern features, including seat belts and airbags, he said.

The taxis will run on CNG and petrol. The cars will have images of the city’s iconic landmarks like the Victoria Memorial Hall and the Howrah Bridge on their bodies.

“These taxis can be booked with the government’s ‘Yatri Sathi’ app,” the official said.

The development comes in the wake of the imminent phasing out of yellow taxis as per the Calcutta High Court’s order in 2009.

It had said that commercial vehicles older than 15 years would not be allowed to ply in the Kolkata and Howrah under the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) area.

Less than 2,000 metered yellow taxis will be on the roads by the end of 2025, down from 20,000 even three years back.

After 2027-28 all the old yellow taxis will stop running.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)