Cars such as Toyota Etios, Maruti Omni, Mahindra Logan, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Indica and Tata Indigo are fairly popular among taxicab operators. The livery of the taxicabs in India varies from state to state. In Delhi and Maharashtra, most taxicabs have yellow-black livery, while in West Bengal, taxis have yellow livery. Private taxicab operators are not required to have a specific livery. However, they are required by law to be registered as commercial vehicles.
According to Government of India regulations, all taxicabs are required to have a fare-meter installed. However, enforcement by authorities is lax and many cabs operate either without fare-meter or with defunct ones. In such cases, fare is decided by bargaining between the customer and the driver. Taxicabs face stiff competition from auto rickshaws, but in some cities, for example Mumbai, auto-rickshaws are banned in the main city district, thus giving taxicabs a monopoly.
Taxicabs
In India, most taxicabs, especially those in Delhi and Mumbai, have distinctive black and yellow liveries with the bottom half painted black and upper half painted yellow. In Kolkata, most taxis are painted yellow with a blue strip in the middle. Private companies operating taxis can have their own liveries, but need to get them approved from the government. Now, drivers don't need to pay commission.
In India, most taxicabs, especially those in Chennai Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, have distinctive black and yellow liveries with the bottom half painted black and upper half painted yellow with limited nos. at Chennai Airport. In Chennai, most taxis are looking like a private owner cars but there is a yellow plated with black numbers and text for identification. Private companies operating taxis can have their own liveries, but need to get them approved from the government. Now, every taxi business involved with commissions which is not avoidable at this point of time. Taxi cabs drivers need to pay commission now for example visit Chennai City Taxi website, who is one of the leading taxi service provider in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh had a commission slab of 15 to 20 per cent from the total bill value of each trip. Also drivers directly can call and enquire about the commission slab on the following no. 8297282979
Taxis and all other commercial vehicles have a yellow number plate, so charging taxes and toll in highways is easier for the officials. Delhi is the only city in India with taxicabs running only on Compressed Natural Gas. To hail a taxicab, you normally just wait on the street or go to locations called taxi stands. Taxicabs are referred to as taxis in India and the word cab is rarely used.
Most of these cabs do not have an air conditioning system, but there are numerous private taxi operators like "Cool Cab", which are air-conditioned. The newer taxis are white, one of the many reasons, "why the expensive taxis have been dubbed White Taxis by the locals in cities". Taxis and all other commercial vehicles have a yellow number plate, so charging taxes and toll in highways is easier for the officials.
Depending on the city/state, taxis can either be hailed or are hired from taxi-stands. In cities, such as Bangalore, taxis need to be hired from taxi stands, whereas in cities like Kolkata and Mumbai, taxis can be hailed on the street. There are additional surcharges for luggage, late-night rides and toll taxes are to be paid by the passenger. Thanks to the booming economy but due to disparities in income many types of taxis have come up. For example, in Delhi there are five types of taxi. auto rickshaws- which are the cheapest form of taxi-, Normal Taxis, Radio Cabs, White Taxis and Tourist Taxis. In posher areas like Noida and Gurgaon auto rickshaws are banned thus giving the taxis a monopoly. Chandigarh also has a well established system of modern radio cabs using cars like Tata Indigo/Indigo Marina, Fiat Siena and Maruti Esteem. Kolkata has also got many No Refusal taxis that will never say no to the passengers.
Shared taxicab
In cities and localities, where taxis are expensive or do not ply as per the government or municipal regulated fares, people use Share taxis. These are normal taxis, which carry one or more passengers travelling to destinations either en route to the final destination, or nearby the final destination. The passengers are charged according to the number of people with different destinations.These taxis are locally known as uber or ola is India. A similar system exists for autorickshaws, known as Share autos.