Roadblocks to change
November 22, 2007 6:27 PM
Roadblocks to change
But there are a few reasons that change -resistant
cabbies put forward to explain why they prefer to stick to their old
Premier Padminis
LESS LEG-SPACE
Many customers do not want to travel in the smaller Maruti
and Hyundai vehicles (like 800 and Santro, respectively) because they
tend to have less leg-space than the Premier Padminis. That is one of
the reasons why there tends to be some opposition to change among
cabbies, says A L Quadros of the Mumbai Taximen's Union.
NO SPACE FOR LUGGAGE
Many of the new cars like Hyundai Santro, Maruti 800,and Tata
Indica have very little space for keeping luggage as compared to the
old fiats. This is another reason why many cabbies are resistant to
change.
HIGH MAINTAINANCE COST
Most cabbies feel that most of the new small-car alternatives
to the old Fiats will not be able to rough it when they vie on
Mumbai's roads. Most of these new alteratives also tend to have a
higher maintenance cost.
PROBLEM WITH FINANCE
A cabbie who makes Rs 20,000 a month cannot afford to pay a
very high EMI for a new car; this often discourages chauffeurs from
going for the new, high-end alternatives.