Mumbai Taximen union writes to Diwakar Roate over taxi decline

The Mumbai Taximen Union (MTU), which is led by A.L. Quadros, has claimed that the number of taxis has gone down from 63,200 to 38,000 since 1997.

The unions have also sent a letter about this to transport minister Diwakar Roate, and asked him to put a stop to taxi services being run illegally.

Senior members of the union, on the condition of anonymity, have revealed that the letter — a copy of which is with this reporter — was given to Mr Raote on February 5.

The letter states that since 1997 the city’s population has increased from 91 lakh to 1,45,00,000, but the number of taxis has reduced.

“You can see that the population has increased but the number of taxis has decreased in the island city; so the gap has been made purposely for the automobile industry,” the leader alleged.

Another member said that if the number of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) buses were increasing, the decreasing number of taxis would be understandable; but this was not the case. “The BEST, too, has reduced its number of buses in the past decade, so what is the commuter using ” he added.

The taxi unions have complained that due to the increasing number of private taxis, they have to ferry commuters travelling from the island city to the suburbs.

Shashank Rao’s union Mumbai Autorickshaw and Taxi Union (MATU) has also hinted at a strike on February 15 to oppose private taxis as they have been eating into their earnings in the suburbs as well.