Mumbai auto

[rhitwick]

Its been a long time I was thinking of writing on them. I'm in Mumbai since last four years and luckily or unluckily Auto has become my main mode of commute. You see, they are so kind and I've observed so closely, I wanted to share my thought with you here.

First myth breaker: THEY ARE NOT ON ROAD TO DO BUSINESS! Yes, they are not there to do business. They just simply get out of home everyday for fun, just to roam on the streets. Its as like you go to office on bus, train, go to college or hang out with friends on cycle, bike etc. they use Auto. Simple. So, from now on if you see an empty auto whoosing past your raising hand, don't frown or do his "ma-behen", just remember he was not there to take you.

Second myth breaker: THEY CHARGE YOU FOR THE DISTANCE YOU COMMUTE. No. Not at all. That is an eyewash. They actually are very kind hearted, why? Will explain in a few minutes. You see, I told earlier they roam on streets for their own fun and has to touch checkpoints in this time. I guess they must have this free roaming thing organized and must have invisible dead-ends as in some closed end computer games (you don't see any wall at that area but still can't cross it). As a result they are always in a hurry to reach the checkpoints. Why? For fun obviously. A man has to have his fun time.

Now, while doing this if someone sees you standing roadside, raising your hand and fanatically shouting "auto, auto"...who's heart won't melt. They stop near you, ask where you would want to go, if and only if they were happened to go the same route they provide you lift. So, next time don't think that auto who dropped you home did it for money. Its as same as, if your friend had a car and happened to take the same road you take to home (or offiice or watever place you were going that time) won't he drop you?!!! Be thankful to them for their kind gesture from next time.

And, now you would ask, "but, they charge me money and that too by meter"!!! Dude!!! the meter is not for you, its for them!!! And that is another example of them being honest. You see in the moment of crisis if someone helped you just that way won't you tip him to show your respect or at least ask to pay for the gas. In this process you might insist them to take much more money than the actual expense (come on, you were happy, ecstatic etc. as if you tip the waiter in a hotel after a great meal and service). So they took a step to discourage you to pay more than you should pay. They have put a meter for that reason only. Well, now you would ask, "fir to free mein kyoun nahi chodta?" (then why don't they drop us for free?)

Come on! would you like to be under someone's favor, they know how proud you are and if they do not take the money as a token of appreciation and love for them from you, you might not take lift from another auto again. They really don't like to be paid but they just had to.

So, from next day, if you raise your hand and autos don't stop for you. Don't curse them, wait for the next one who would take you home. Bajaj has made a auto for everyone, you just need to (wait and) find it.

[pulkitpopli2004]

^^ wow what a perspective.. beautiful..

i think you had a long chit-chat session with sum Auto driver...

[MatchBoxx]

I'm still laughing!

[Xmen360]

haha.... Lol.!!

Man that was awesome ... had a nice laugh

[Cool G5]

Seems as if you had a heavy dose of racing games

I'm once in a bluemoon auto traveller & I haven't studied them closely as you have did. If they drive for fun then sometimes I should pull out my camera & be at the last checkpoint & see which autowalla wins.

[gagan007]

hahaha very nice article rhitwick. Actually same goes with Bangalore auto drivers too. Let me share a story of mine too

As I already said that b'lore auto driver also have same properties as specified by rhitwick. You need not look for autos if you plan to go anywhere, you just stand on the corner or road side. A kind auto-driver will stop by you and will give you a lift to your destination as he pleases. I was fed up of this waiting and swore never to board an auto again (well, had to do it 2 times after that)..

So this one time I planned to go for a movie with a girl of my team. She insisted on taking her room-mate with her so I had to take my room mate too. We both had bikes to assist the ladies but luck was not in our favor. It rained and we had to take auto from our house (it charged by meter luckily). Girls took autos from their place and reached cinema hall (Garuda mall) which is only a little more than 4k.m. from Koramangala. After the movie was over (at 11:30 p.m.) the other girl's boyfriend came to pick her up in his car so they both went happily! It was our turn to meddle with auto drivers standing outside mall. Some gentleman demanded 200, other one was little considerate and asked for 180 only. The unity among them was really appreciable. No one was ready to drop us off in lesser amount than Rs. 180 for petty 4 k.m. I decided to "walk". I know that was not the wisest of decisions but I really had it enough. As we walked around half a k.m. my room mate started to curse me as he got scared by two guys following us. And then came the moment when one autowallah, happened to be going his own home, showered us mercy and asked us if we wanted a "lift". We humbly paid him 1 and 1/2 of the meter reading and were happy to reach office alive and/or un-mugged

[xtremevicky]

Book a cab in such cases that will be cheaper . 150 bucks and you all will be dropped

[Zangetsu]

@rhitwick: did u had a chat with auto union.....
& they r driving just for FUN???nope I dnt think so.....

& its not necessary that each & every auto will stop for u to pick u up...
it purely depends on that auto to which region he travels....

e.g: In Bhandup if there are a three sub parts P1,P2,P3....so a P3 auto will not take u to P1...or P2....I had faced this many times....

Moreover its not safe for girls to travel in auto @ nights...(so no kind hearted)...I heard many times from my colleages saying to other girl colleges after a late night party "auto se mat jana yaar....". instead take BUS.

& the meter is for justification for the price u pay for travelling.....

its all for Business & money...all auto walas work for money....no fun,no humbleness

it happened with my frnd who was new in mumbai....he had to go to some place & he took auto..the auto walah fooled him by going round & round & charge him lumsum money...he came to know that he was looted extra money..when he saw a route while
returning (in a car lift from other frnd)..he looked the route outside & shouted..."arre itna
samne tha...auto walah mujhe bahut ghumaya yaar..."

the above example of my frnd is pertaining to a single person hire auto & not for sharing auto service
coz in sharing auto service u wont be charged anything extra....like in Dombivali there is sharing auto service....

& also...u r walking on road an auto will slow down & stop before u to ask u for destination...ok just for doing daily business....

& most of auto walahs dont own their auto

[gagan007]

Originally Posted by xtremevicky709

Book a cab in such cases that will be cheaper . 150 bucks and you all will be dropped

Please try to book a cab for 4 km.



and good luck



And cabs can never be cheaper than autos, it is a fact, otherwise we won't be able to see autos anymore.


@Zangetsu: Are you serious buddy? rhitwick's post intended pun!

[darkaalx]

Even better than your kind hearted auto drivers are the taxi drivers of Mumbai.........the royal fiat Premier Padmini travelling in its wet and sweaty cloth seats is just a delight. the sound of the engine is that of a bulldozer gallore, sheer music to my ears. The fables taxi drivers yell out is pure entertaining. they greet each other with a mocking but rather fun loving frown!!....the royal fiat throwing smoke like a steam engine adds to the retro look......

[Zangetsu]

Originally Posted by gagan007

@Zangetsu: Are you serious buddy? rhitwick's post intended pun!

well my above comments r serious...
I posted bcoz I thought rhitwick is way admiring auto walah..some of the words r not true at all....


otherwise nothing personal...

[rhitwick]

Well, I guess not everyone understands sarcasm...

[asingh]

Come and experience New Delhi's auto drivers. You will go back to Mumbai/Thane region and kiss their feet for being angels.

Normal Delhi Route:

1. You request (try to flag down) passing autos. 5-6th one stops.
2. You walk up to empty auto's and mention your destination. "We not going in that direction". "Will drop you half way". Back to (1).
3. After you mention destination -- they are confused on location. You give detailed directions, wag their head NO, and drive off. You eat the dust. Back to (1).
4. Agrees to take you. Refuses meter. Requests an exorbitant tariff ~1.5 times higher. Back to (1).
5. You haggle and negotiate a reasonable tariff (though you are paying 30% overhead) and sit in the auto.
6. He lights up a bidi
7. While driving, spits gutka/paan/kheni spit out side the moving auto. It backwashes to your face/clothes.
8. Puts on loud desi music.
9. Suddenly in the middle of the normal route, detours to another road.
10. You get of at a CNG pump (long line of 10 autos ahead of you) and wait for SIR to refuel the gas.
11. You sit and surf the net on GPRS while driver stops on the highway to urinate.
12. You join him and relieve yourself.
13. You wait and admire the fly overs of New Delhi -- while the auto guy is buying narcotic substances and / or drinking water from the road side.
14. You also buy some paan waala goodies and drink water.
15. You reach your destination.
16. He does not have change. You buy something from a road side shop (ciggie/toffees) to get change.
17. If (16) not possible, you leave the tariff closest to highest common denominator of "10".
18. Whines and cringes for more money, cause you got off at your colony house, and not at the "main-market" as you mentioned when the deal was finalized, and negotiations were happening.
19. You swear back.
20. He swears back.
21. You walk home -- pissed.

Normal route from New Delhi railway station:

1. Your exit out side Ajmeri gate/Pahar ganj.
2. 10 auto drivers hawk down to you.
3. You decide on one.
4. Destination is told, and price is quoted ~2.5x normal.
5. You deal down to 1.5x.
6. They buddy, another unknown passenger with you.
7. Squeeze in with a stranger + put wallet in front pocket + clutch phone + pray to GOD for safety.
8. (7) gets dropped first.

[Zangetsu]

^^Fake Sarcasm....

I didnt see any smilies there

[darkaalx]

Loved the Delhi autos....for some who dont know, im being sarcastic

[asingh]

Originally Posted by darkaalx

Loved the Delhi autos....for some who dont know, im being sarcastic

They are the KINGS.

I remember once from PVR Saket till Lajpath Nagar III, one auto guy asked me RS. 500. This was like 10 years back.

I replied to him "aisa karo, aap peeche beth lo, main auto chalaa lethaa hoon Lajpath Nagar tak, or aap 50 rupiyaa le lenaa".

Translated:
Why don't you sit in back of your auto, let me drive it till LPN III, and you charge RS. 50.

[thetechfreak]

I hate the autos who say I am not going that side but go that side the moment they are done talking with you

[gagan007]

@asingh: So in other words this is everywhere!


Similarly, here in b'lore an autowallah asked around 300 from Railway station to BTM Layout. My friend told him "bhaiyya auto khareedna nahi hai, bus wahan tak chor do" (dude we are not asking the price of your auto, just drop us there) and walked ahead.


In another instance some relatives of my friend came from Delhi for couple of days. Once returning from MG Road in night, they tried hard to get an auto but in vain. Finally they agreed to an auto for Rs. 300. Once they reached their destination, they refused to give 300 and handed him 1 1/2 of the fare by meter! That was a nice payback IMO

[xtremevicky]

I got a cab for 3 kms . It was Central and had to drop a friend at Forum . What we do is call the driver not the cab company and he drops us all and I give him less that what i pay to auto.

[Liverpool_fan]

Brilliant.

Originally Posted by Zangetsu

@rhitwick: did u had a chat with auto union.....
& they r driving just for FUN???nope I dnt think so.....

& its not necessary that each & every auto will stop for u to pick u up...
it purely depends on that auto to which region he travels....

e.g: In Bhandup if there are a three sub parts P1,P2,P3....so a P3 auto will not take u to P1...or P2....I had faced this many times....

Moreover its not safe for girls to travel in auto @ nights...(so no kind hearted)...I heard many times from my colleages saying to other girl colleges after a late night party "auto se mat jana yaar....". instead take BUS.

& the meter is for justification for the price u pay for travelling.....

its all for Business & money...all auto walas work for money....no fun,no humbleness

it happened with my frnd who was new in mumbai....he had to go to some place & he took auto..the auto walah fooled him by going round & round & charge him lumsum money...he came to know that he was looted extra money..when he saw a route while
returning (in a car lift from other frnd)..he looked the route outside & shouted..."arre itna
samne tha...auto walah mujhe bahut ghumaya yaar..."

the above example of my frnd is pertaining to a single person hire auto & not for sharing auto service
coz in sharing auto service u wont be charged anything extra....like in Dombivali there is sharing auto service....

& also...u r walking on road an auto will slow down & stop before u to ask u for destination...ok just for doing daily business....

& most of auto walahs dont own their auto

QFT

[Zangetsu]

^^QFT means???

[gagan007]

^^Quoted For Truth

[furious_gamer]

^^ QFT = Quoted For Truth

[ico]

Today's incident. The auto-waalah wasn't ready to go by the meter. Hauz Khas to R.K. Puram is exactly 40 if you go by meter. Instead he demanded 50 rudely.

My reply:

"dekh bhaya, shanti te bolta toh mai tanne 60 bhi de deta. eeb mai 40 bhi na daen waala."

Boarded a DTC bus and reached home. Rs. 10.

Note: Metro and Buses are major win in Delhi. Autos are retarded.

[sygeek]

I wasn't expecting this at all. lmao

P.S., Rickshaws FTW!

This reminds me of a question: When was the last time you had a good experience using something available to public in India?

[ico]

Originally Posted by SyGeek

This reminds me of a question: When was the last time you had a good experience using something available to public in India?

Today. Metro and Bus.

[Liverpool_fan]

Originally Posted by ico

Buses are major win in Delhi.

[ico]

well, they are only over-crowded during the peak hours. If you know the routes, then it is very easy for you to travel.

I'm not talking about the driving skills of the drivers.

[Faun]

BMTC in Bangalore

[Ethan_Hunt]

Originally Posted by asingh

Come and experience New Delhi's auto drivers. You will go back to Mumbai/Thane region and kiss their feet for being angels.

Normal Delhi Route:

1. You request (try to flag down) passing autos. 5-6th one stops.
2. You walk up to empty auto's and mention your destination. "We not going in that direction". "Will drop you half way". Back to (1).
3. After you mention destination -- they are confused on location. You give detailed directions, wag their head NO, and drive off. You eat the dust. Back to (1).
4. Agrees to take you. Refuses meter. Requests an exorbitant tariff ~1.5 times higher. Back to (1).
5. You haggle and negotiate a reasonable tariff (though you are paying 30% overhead) and sit in the auto.
6. He lights up a bidi
7. While driving, spits gutka/paan/kheni spit out side the moving auto. It backwashes to your face/clothes.
8. Puts on loud desi music.
9. Suddenly in the middle of the normal route, detours to another road.
10. You get of at a CNG pump (long line of 10 autos ahead of you) and wait for SIR to refuel the gas.
11. You sit and surf the net on GPRS while driver stops on the highway to urinate.
12. You join him and relieve yourself.
13. You wait and admire the fly overs of New Delhi -- while the auto guy is buying narcotic substances and / or drinking water from the road side.
14. You also buy some paan waala goodies and drink water.
15. You reach your destination.
16. He does not have change. You buy something from a road side shop (ciggie/toffees) to get change.
17. If (16) not possible, you leave the tariff closest to highest common denominator of "10".
18. Whines and cringes for more money, cause you got off at your colony house, and not at the "main-market" as you mentioned when the deal was finalized, and negotiations were happening.
19. You swear back.
20. He swears back.
21. You walk home -- pissed.

Normal route from New Delhi railway station:

1. Your exit out side Ajmeri gate/Pahar ganj.
2. 10 auto drivers hawk down to you.
3. You decide on one.
4. Destination is told, and price is quoted ~2.5x normal.
5. You deal down to 1.5x.
6. They buddy, another unknown passenger with you.
7. Squeeze in with a stranger + put wallet in front pocket + clutch phone + pray to GOD for safety.
8. (7) gets dropped first.

This deserves a f*ckin' REP.

Although, my recent experience with Auto's, here in Bombay, has been a mixed bag. There have been numerous occasions when these pricks wouldn't even stop if your stood/slept right in front of it. But then there was this one old chap who dropped me to my location and my fare, as usual, is the minimum one, which is 11 bucks to the bus stop. Unfortunately, I didn't have 1 Rupee change that day. So I decided to hand him 20 bucks and asked him to keep it. He looked back at me and said "Beta nahi nahi. Sirf 11 rupye hue hain aur aap 20 rupya de rahe ho." Then he promptly started searching his pocket and somehow managed to get the remaining 9 rupee change. That gesture restored my faith, to some extent, but it's really been a 1-in-a-million kind of case.

I don't have any personal hatred against these people, but it's really annoying when they don't halt, when you wave at them.