A driver demonstrates the use of a manually operated fare meter on his Premier Padmini taxi in Mumbai Central

A driver demonstrates the use of a manually operated fare meter on his Premier Padmini taxi in Mumbai Central, October 12, 2012. The meter’s displayed fare hans’t changed since 1973, and a multiplier chart is used to determine the actual fare. The Premier Padmini was manufactured in India by Premier Automobiles from 1964 to 2000 and is based on the design of Fiat’s 1100-series cars from the 1960s. The vehicle quickly became the iconic workhorse in Mumbai’s fleet of black and yellow taxis until economic liberalisation in the 1990s allowed a wider range of makes and models to be produced in India. With an official order stating that taxis over 25 years old must be retired, the number of Premier Padmini taxis has begun to dwindle, and in a few years, they will be gone from Mumbai’s streets altogether. Local media estimates put Mumbai’s current taxi fleet at about 51,000 vehicles, of which it is estimated that about 8,000 vehicles are over 25 years old. Picture taken on October 12, 2012. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash (INDIA)