‘City has no space for small
taxis’
Transport Authority Wants To
Drive Out Vehicles That Are Less Than 1,000 CC
 Mumbai:
There will be no new small taxis in the city anymore. Alarmed by
the exponential growth in the number of vehicles, the Mumbai
Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) headed by
transport secretary C S Sangitrao has proposed a complete ban on
registration of smaller vehicles—less than 1,000 cc, as cabs,
initially in Mumbai, Thane and Pune. The multipronged strategy
to tackle traffic congestion will also see the introduction of
6+1-seater cabs and boost in public transport by adding a fleet
of over 5,000 new buses for the metropolis.
It was found that vehicle density in Mumbai was 750 vehicles
per sq km, 1,700 in Pune and 800 in Thane against the standard
vehicle density of 350 vehicles per sq km. “Mumbai has crossed
the stage of saturation. Now, it can’t afford more number of
vehicles, therefore the MMRTA has decided to halt registration
of vehicles of less than 1,000 cc as cabs,’’ a senior official
told TOI.
Simultaneously, the MMRTA has recommended to the police
commissioners of Mumbai, Pune and Thane to invoke provisions of
the the Motor Vehicle Act to stop registration of vehicles of
less than 1,000 cc in these cities.
Under the Maharashtra vehicle rules, the MMRTA has powers to
prohibit registration of vehicles below 750 cc as cabs and now
it has enhanced it to 1,000 cc. Similarly, under the Motor
Vehicles Act, the MMRTA has powers to recommend to the
commissioners to halt registration of certain types of vehicles
in public interest. “Since Mumbai is already overcrowded by
vehicles, such a step is essential. If we halt registration of
vehicles below 1000 cc, we can reduce the vehicular density. Of
course, such decisions will not have a retrospective effect,’’
he said.
Secondly, the official said, currently, there are 4,000-odd
buses owned by BEST, while as per the norms prescribed by the
central agencies, Mumbai requires at least 10,000 buses to
improve the public transport system in the metropolis.
“According to norms, there should be 45 buses for a population
of one lakh. For Mumbai, we need at least 10,000 buses. If the
BEST has no funds, it should go in for a
public-private-partnership model,’’ he said.
On the 6+1 public transport vehicles, the official said the
MMRTA has taken a decision to allow use of the seven-seater
vehicles for public transport. “Currently, we allow 3+1 persons
in a cab, but in a city like Mumbai, we need to enhance the
capacity. Therefore, it has been decided to grant permission for
bigger vehicles, with a capacity of 6+1 passengers as cabs,’’ he
said.
The official said at a juncture when there was absolutely no
end to the registration of new vehicles, it was essential to
draft a new policy to ensure effective use of public transport
and optimum use of available road space. “If we improve our
public transport system, then people will certainly not use
their private vehicles,’’ he said.
Suggestions and objections will now be invited from the
public and a final proposal placed before the state government
for clearance.
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