By next year, expect all the noisy old taxis and autos plying on the streets in the city and suburbs to be taken off the roads. Last night the State Transport Authority (STA) decided to scrap over 5,000 rickety old taxis in Mumbai and 16,000 wobbly old auto rickshaws in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The phase-out will begin in the next three months, and is expected to be complete by next year. This means that better public vehicles can be expected.

“From August 1, the taxis that are more than 20 years old and autos more than 16 years old plying in the MMR will not be given fitness certificates. They will be scrapped and replaced with new ones,” said VN More, state transport commissioner. This is being done so as to bring in better vehicles on road, officials said.