Taxis to introduce 'in-Taxi' magazines from July

May 20 : Come July 13, the ride to office or home in city's black and yellow taxis will never be boring for the passengers, as the 55,000-odd fleet will offer 'in-taxi' magazines to take away some of their frustation caused by the traffic jams.

The cabs will keep a fortnightly magazine, 'MumBaee', in English, that will carry essentials like list of eateries, galleries, shopping centres and detailed timetable on the latest happenings in and around the city.

The magazine will initially print 50,000 copies. They will be distributed free to 45,000 'strong Mumbai Taximens' Union member's.

''It is the taxi version of an in-flight magazine and with the city introducing new heet of taxis, we expect to see a lot of action in the business,'' said Ignatius Fernandes, marketing manager
of Vishnu LK Publishers, here yesterday.

He said the publishers would try and recover the cost of printing, approximately Rs five lakhs for 50,000 copies, largely through advertisements.

''We have received very positive response from advertisers, at least for next six months, with the only scepticism being that it may be stolen or taken away by passengers,'' said Mr Fernandes.

With the city's taxi fleet carrying about 37 lakh passengers, even if only a percentage reads the magazine, it still translates into a huge market, he added.

To counter loss from theft and replace old copies, new issues will be distributed through petrol pumps and gas stations.

Mumbai Taximen's Union, general secretary, A L Quadros said, ''Though the concept is not new, it would help passengers to pass time during peak hours. I, however, do not see the 55,000-odd taxis and the two lakh drivers benefitting financially from it.''