Taxi drivers are said to have a better chance of getting into heaven than priests. That is because taxi drivers are far more effective in prompting people to invoke the name of God. Minds of most people stray when priests pray. But when cabbies get to drive, most people, both in the taxi and outside, begin to pray.

St Peter, Chitragupta or Yamraj, all swearing by results, consequently, have no hesitation in allowing taxi drivers into heaven. Calcutta too has its share of such taxi drivers who seem to be in a hurry to meet St Peter. But thanks to the narrow and uneven roads and also due to the slow traffic, accidents are relatively fewer with the traffic often forcing taxis to slow down. But catch them driving on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass late in the evening or in the early morning hours and they can often be seen flying through the air.

Even during daylight hours there is no check on speeding, but then vehicles at least slow down when the drivers see the men in uniform. But at night, all caution is thrown to the winds as the drivers press on the accelerator and the old Ambassadors suddenly start overtaking newer cars being driven at 90 kph or more. No wonder, disasters are waiting to happen on the Bypass.

That is not the only thing that’s wrong with the cabs here. Passengers are expected to distinguish between old meters and newer ones. If it is a new meter, the fare comes to one-and-a-half times the amount flashing on the meter. If it is an old meter then there is a complicated process of calculation, which, however, comes generally to three times the amount showing in the meter. Before imposing more taxes and environmental checks, the transport department should initiate steps to simplify the meters so that passengers get to pay the amount recorded by the meter, without having to make calculations or check the fare chart.

It is not always the passengers who lose out though. Even taxi drivers can sometimes fall victims of the system, which is especially confusing for visitors and tourists. A foreigner, reports a website, recently took a cab to Kalighat and refused to pay more than the figure on the meter, which read Rs 13.50 or so. The cabbie wanted him to pay Rs 35 but the foreigner felt he was being swindled. He refused to pay up, handed over Rs 20 and pushed off, realising much later that the driver was actually right.

Taxis must also be made to conform to certain norms of hygiene and cleanliness, besides ensuring a reasonably good condition of the vehicles. A creaking cab and a foul-mouthed cabbie can put off the most ardent Calcuttan. Many of the drivers are shabbily dressed and some taxis happily transport poultry, vegetables and even dead bodies. But rarely is an effort made to clean up the vehicles and make them more presentable. Most of the taxi drivers cannot follow a word of English. They need to be trained so that they can follow basic sentences in English, offer basic information and guide tourists. It should also be mandatory for taxis to carry a map of the city and display it prominently. That would ensure they do not take innocent visitors for a ride.

The taxi service in the city can certainly do with some modernising influence, innovation and control. It needs to be streamlined and the polluting cabs need to be weeded out. A citizens’ group can be formed to check and report cabs found to be below par.