Cabs are being squeezed by motor cars

We are not against private motor cars, but we cannot have over 3 lakh vehicles coming into the city each day and taking up the space mean...

We are not against private motor cars, but we cannot have over 3 lakh vehicles coming into the city each day and taking up the space meant for mass transport. These cars enter the city and use roads as their private garages from morning to evening. What I8217;m saying is that priority must be given to mass transport.

Taxis transport over 12 lakh underprivileged people each day and hence qualify for mass transport like BEST buses and trains. One of the main complaints of the WIAA is that taxi drivers are indisciplined and park haphazardly on the roads. I agree with them, but it8217;s not the fault of the taxi drivers.

Though the Motor Vehicles Act clearly states taxis can pick up passengers from taxi stands, there are only 916 taxi stands for 4,500 taxis in the island city. Over 400 taxi stands have been sanctioned by the government in the last three years, but none have been erected.

Consequently, there is no place to park taxis, which is why we have no option but to park near junctions and bus stops. Taxis arealso often forced to cruise looking for passengers, wasting precious fuel.

Nearly 50 per cent of a taxi8217;s mileage is dead mileage8217; spent on cruising and looking for passengers. And as the traffic department will verify, each taxi coughs up nearly Rs 1,000 a month paying fines for parking in areas without taxi stands.

Even existing taxi stands like those at P M Road and Ballard Estate are being removed by pay and park contractors.

Today a taxi driver refuses fares and avoids going to certain areas like Peddar Road because there are no taxi stands there and he will be forced to go empty looking for passengers.

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The government provides space for parking school buses, and nearly an entire road from the GPO to Carnac Bunder is used for parking private contract buses, but taxis have no stands.

If the government gives us sufficient space to park our taxis, I8217;m willing to back the cancellation of the licence of a taxi driver who refuses to ply to a certain destination.

I8217;d once again ask Mr Dossa towithdraw his cars and give more space for mass transport in the city. From the government we8217;re not even asking for luxuries like rest rooms for taxi drivers, all we8217;re asking for is basic infrastructure like taxi stands.

Al Quadros is general secretary of the Mumbai Taximen8217;s Union