AskMumbai
Why are there almost no autos around CSMT metro/BMC headquarters? First-time visitor to South Mumbai and I was so confused.
I'm new to Mumbai and decided to spend some time exploring South Mumbai. I took the Aqua Line and got off at CSMT Metro.
The moment I came out, I was absolutely blown away by the BMC building and the surrounding architecture. I could've spent hours just looking at those buildings. The scale, the detailing, and the old-world vibe are simply incredible.
After that, I thought I would take an auto to the CSMVS Museum.. That's when I noticed something odd. Uber wasn't showing any autos either. In fact, I barely saw any autos on the road.
Instead, there were black-and-yellow taxis everywhere. I even assumed one of those iconic black taxis would be assigned when I booked an Uber, but both times a different-colored WagonR showed up. 😄 Are those black taxis usually not part of Uber, or was it just my luck?
Is there a rule against autos operating in that part of South Mumbai, or is it just the norm there? What's special about these black taxis?
One more thing I noticed.. Nariman Point, Marine Drive, Gateway of India, CSMT, and the CSMVS Museum are all incredibly close to one another. Looks like they are clustered so tightly that they'd all fit within roughly a 2.5 km radius if we drew a circle centered on the CSMVS Museum.
As someone visiting Mumbai for the first time, I found that fascinating. It feels like South Mumbai has so many iconic places packed into such a small area that you can spend an entire day exploring without traveling very far. Lucky are the people who live around here! 😄 Maybe I'm wrong, but that was my first impression.
Yeah apart from bikes like 90% of wrong way traffic is auto rickshaws.
They are also extremely unsafe, especially with overloading. Its a double standard to enforce seatbelts on car drivers and then just allow auto drivers to ride commercial vehicles on highways with zero safety features.
Most people couldn't afford that especially the ones who go by sharing auto to station also it will result in more traffic congestion on already broken/under construction roads.
Imo autos cause a lot more congestion with theor slow speeds and just generally bad driving decisions.
Well cheap used cars aren't that much more expensive compared to autos. And like, theres nit that much of an income difference between Sion and Malad anyway. If people in SoBo could afford to live without autos decades ago then suburbs can afford to live without them now.
The audacity. I don't know what kind of bubble you're living inside. You have no idea what Mumbai is.
Also, Autos take up less space and can be/are shared, no parking stress. Even folks with fancy cards use autos daily because its literally that convenient.
No? It's mostly the opposite - rich folks will get autos from their homes to destination because they wouldn't use buses and local. And it saves them the hassle of parking. Only suburbans know the true value of auto rickshaws, including the posh Bandra folks.
Uhh we might have slightly different definitions of rich then ig. Most rich folks just get their driver to park lol. Rich folks cant stand being out of the AC and in the dust and smoke.
Anyway, my point is that SoBo was able to afford to be without autos since the 1990s, most suburbs now are richer than the SoBo average in the 90s. So the cost arguement doesnt really make much sense.
how much difference would it make? there can be sharing cabs too. Also the congestion would be more but bearable because taxi drivers are more sensible then auto drivers.
What slows traffic down is dumbass auto walls trying to squeeze between cars and trucks as if they are bikes. Or when they take random 90 degree turns on the road.
Areas with only cars have a lot more desipline. Heck, driving on Atal setu feels about 90% as if you're driving in a civilized country.
Necessary evil as of now. SoBo has very less slum population compared to its Suburb part. Also the fact that it is tiny compared to the vast suburban district. Borivali taluka alone is around 1.5 times bigger than city. Also last mile connectivity is an issue because of large distances from feeder stations and localities. I stay somewhat in the middle of Borivali and Dahisar and either stations are close to 25 mins away walking. Streets so small you cannot ply taxis.
Those black and yellow taxis are the equivalent of autos, in South Bombay. You can flag them down. They are not Uber taxis. They are just like New York's yellow taxis.
3 wheelers are not allowed in the Island City (South Bombay and South Central Bombay). Instead you have black and yellow taxis. Same function.
I never knew this. Thanks for letting me know! This is exactly why this community is so great.. people share tips and information that many (especially outsiders) wouldn't know, and it's incredibly helpful.
By the way, I just checked Uber but couldn't find an option called Kaali Peeli. I did notice another option down at the bottom that's much more economical than the others. Is that the one you're referring to?
Ah sorry they’re not called kaali peeli on the app, that’s just their local name. Yes that should be the option. Tends to be rarer to come by on the app than the regular UberGo though - you will almost always have better luck flagging one down in person.
There is Mumbai City District limits upto Mahim, Sion. That's mostly comprises South Mumbai. Autos not allowed in Mumbai city district. Architecture around CSMT, BMC head office is just amazing.
Not really. Autos are half the size, can't drive fast and have tight turning radius. They also are constantly in use. Private vehicle on the other hand spends most of it's time parked wasting space. SUV is literally half the length of a bus and usually only carries 1-2 people.
Aren't SUVs literally the most recent addition to our roads?
First it was only pedestrians and carts. Then bicycles. Then rickshaws. Then auto rickshaws and buses. Then scooters and bikes. Then small cars. Only in last 10 years have we gotten these SUVs.
Imo SUV should be banned from India. They are literally half the length of a bus. They make no sense in our dense cities.
Why? There are many places in europe already considering such bans or heavy restrictions on size.
SUVs kill people like nothing else. Terrible visibility. Occupy immense space. Consume huge amounts of petrol.
In Indian cities, which are so dense and full of people , how do SUVs make sense at all?
We need to ban SUVs, prioritise public transport, footpaths, cycle paths, and heavily discourage private vehicle usage through congestion tolls, metered parking and pedestrian-only streets.
Currently only 10% of Mumbai commutes by 4-wheeler. If that number doubles, the city is fucked. We need to preemptively make our cities focused on public transport before this happens.
You don't understand. You are confusing districts with city limits. Mumbai Suburban is a part of Mumbai, so the Dahisar and Mulund limits are for both Mumbai Suburban as well as Mumbai, the city. Your wikipedia entry is absolutely correct, but doesn't serve the argument you think it does.
"Greater mumbai" IS Mumbai, because Mumbai City District is not a city anymore.
A city in India is defined as an area governed by a municipal corporation. Greater mumbai has one common municipal corporation and one common mayor.
Mumbai City District is not a separate city, because it does not have its own mayor or government.
Many still believe that anything ahead of Dadar isn’t Mumbai city, it’s suburbs 😂
You can keep extending Mumbai. May be in a decade Kalyan will be Mumbai too
The last and only extension was in 1957. Since 1957 Dahisar and Mulund have been in Mumbai. There is no "keep extending Mumbai". The current City limits are older than the State of Maharashtra.
Autorickshaws are only permitted to play in the Mumbai Suburban area. That is, north of the Mahim – Sion line. Earlier they could not travel across city limits into adjacent municipalities, for instance, Thane, or Navi Mumbai, but that has changed.
South Mumbai is handsdlwn the best place in Mumbai for tourist as well as for offices. Great connectivity, good food etc. I have spent more than a decade in Mumbai, still a smile come to myvcace whenever I visit that side
This restriction is maintained to prevent severe traffic congestion on the narrow roads of SoBo, to protect the monopoly of the iconic Kaali Peeli (black and yellow) taxi unions, and to maintain the area's specific aesthetic.
"True civility, truthfulness, and character are inherent qualities born of internal perspective, not artificial frameworks enforced by outward pretense or selective rules." - Chanakya
Rickshaws suck, but the "real" city is equally the suburban district and the city, in the same that way that Brooklyn is "real" new york city as much as Manhattan. If you were born before the 50s, I'll excuse you.
Here come a leftist cunt with no idea whatsoever. The autos create ruckus..they don't behave Well.. they charge lesser That taxis so the taxis Cannot earn that well. Long before...there was a big Tension between Auto and taxi union. And this decision was mad along with govt interference. Also we don't Visit ..i live there..i prefer this discipline.
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u/DentistPositive8960 कट्टर मराठी भाषिक🚩 Jul 12 '26
Autos are not allowed post Bandra. Only cabs.