Just in case anyone thinks I get to ride around in a white SUV all the time like expat royalty, please know that my primary form of transportation is a glorified golf cart, also known as: the auto-rickshaw.
We live at the mercy of auto drivers whims, and boy are they an opinionated group! Legally, they are supposed to charge the metered rate (starting at a 17 rupees for 2 km) however extenuating circumstances like holidays, light rainfall, Sundays, sunsets, and their personal disdain for your destination may all necessitate a fare hike.
It will be nice when every trip doesn't have to start with a heated argument over the price. My coworker Mark tries to give life lessons to the auto driver by explaining the merits of regular maintenance on one's auto or carrying change. But these lectures must fall on deaf ears because I haven't had an auto make exact change for two weeks.
But Bangalore auto drivers aren't representative of all auto drivers throughout India. As with most things there's a range of experiences.
Bombay autos are known to be quite honourable, will take you anywhere (except Town where these fellows aren't allowed) and are good about giving exact change to the rupee!
In Chennai the majority of drivers claim their meter doesn't work and demand a fixed price.
But Delhi is the worst. There, a auto will agree to a low fare, take you halfway to your destination and stop, and you might hear something like this:
"There's a violent political protest up ahead. I cannot go down that road."He says as you watch trucks and sedans whiz past to their apparent doom. " The road is blocked" he may continue. "It will take at least two hours to clear, and there are no other routes!" While he says this I'm looking at the traffic on Google maps, and it looks is normal throughout the area. "Perhaps you would like to do some shopping until it is safe?" He gestures to the large Crafts Emporium to our left. Ahhh...Where he will doubtless get a 20-40 percent cut of the sale. We exit his auto and begin walking the rest of the way.
Many drivers rent their autos, if only to sleep in. Autos seem to be impervious to market forces, and competition actually results in price fixing rather than a better rate for the customer. Being respectful of your passengers' time is not a thing to the auto driver. Right after he picks you up he may pull into a petrol station to fill up, or stop at the electricity supply center to pay his electric bill, as the auto pictured below did. (no joke.) The best story is when I was with my roommate and her mom. The auto went the wrong way down a one way street to get to a petrol station, and was caught by a traffic cop. The cop asked for a 50 rupee bribe, and the auto driver asked us to pay. no way!
Many autos have a Napoleon complex, and try to masquerade as bigger, more important vehicles, fixing the Porsche crest or Audi emblem on the back. And no, Porsche doesn't make autos. The Flatbed Truck Auto below.
I I will leave you with a glimpse the most rare and excellent breed of auto: the Party Auto.Enjoying the Party Auto's many perks does not cost extra, unless, of course, you need a ride on a Sunday. (Blast this THIS while strobing your kitchen light for full effect.)
Thanks for reading!
hahaha! I listened to the song. Now I just have to wait till dark so I can try the strobe effect :)
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