I don't travel much in autos. And predictably, the few times I have used them as means of transport have left me in rather bitter taste.
I know, there are enough people who have already ranted about autos. But I wanted to put in my views and experiences (I see many of my readers giving a wry smile :D. I give up- I have nothing else to write).
Firstly, the arrogance with which they refuse to come to your destination hits you like a slap on the cheek. A popular saying has it that the auto driver is willing to go to any location except your destination!!
No, your troubles don't vanish when an auto guy agrees to pick you; It is highly probable that he will ask excess fare. Don't be astounded if the auto wallah asks you to cough up one and a half (Sick way of putting it) even when you are the only traveler and it is in broad daylight. You try to reason, he says that he needs to come back empty (Though you are going to some busy area). You try to fight, you will lose the hard earned auto. You agree to pay up.
As you start the journey, you see that the auto and its meter runs at rocket speed. I have experienced strange cases where the different autos over same distances always show different meter readings. Moreover, none of them will be correct. One guy would have cheated less and the other more; No meter is accurate. The sad part is that even after you agree to cough up so much money, the ride is very very unsafe. The only thing on the driver's mind is to dump us ASAP and to catch the next bakra.
I have had some funny albeit bad experiences during my auto travels...
Once I found out to my shock that the meter ran even when the auto was stationary at a signal light or a traffic jam!! When I demanded an explanation the auto driver coolly said that it was waiting charges!! I almost fainted. Upon threatening that I will take him to the police, he reduced some amount.
In another instance, I clearly made a fool of myself. I generally avoid autos with the old kind of meters in the belief that they will be manipulated to run faster. In this particular case, there were 4-5 autos in the stand and I chose not to board the first 3 as they were fitted with old meters. Upon questioning, I told the same and I boared the 1 with the new meter. Soon I realised why the drivers were all giving wry smiles. This meter was no better and I had chosen the driver by whom I would get cheated!!
All such experiences make me stay away from autos as much as possible. However, there are times when they become unavoidable. God knows when the government will wake up (will it ever?) and take some strict measures to control this auto menace.
So, why don't you share your bad experiences (I bet you have 1) with autos?
I know, there are enough people who have already ranted about autos. But I wanted to put in my views and experiences (I see many of my readers giving a wry smile :D. I give up- I have nothing else to write).
Firstly, the arrogance with which they refuse to come to your destination hits you like a slap on the cheek. A popular saying has it that the auto driver is willing to go to any location except your destination!!
No, your troubles don't vanish when an auto guy agrees to pick you; It is highly probable that he will ask excess fare. Don't be astounded if the auto wallah asks you to cough up one and a half (Sick way of putting it) even when you are the only traveler and it is in broad daylight. You try to reason, he says that he needs to come back empty (Though you are going to some busy area). You try to fight, you will lose the hard earned auto. You agree to pay up.
As you start the journey, you see that the auto and its meter runs at rocket speed. I have experienced strange cases where the different autos over same distances always show different meter readings. Moreover, none of them will be correct. One guy would have cheated less and the other more; No meter is accurate. The sad part is that even after you agree to cough up so much money, the ride is very very unsafe. The only thing on the driver's mind is to dump us ASAP and to catch the next bakra.
I have had some funny albeit bad experiences during my auto travels...
Once I found out to my shock that the meter ran even when the auto was stationary at a signal light or a traffic jam!! When I demanded an explanation the auto driver coolly said that it was waiting charges!! I almost fainted. Upon threatening that I will take him to the police, he reduced some amount.
In another instance, I clearly made a fool of myself. I generally avoid autos with the old kind of meters in the belief that they will be manipulated to run faster. In this particular case, there were 4-5 autos in the stand and I chose not to board the first 3 as they were fitted with old meters. Upon questioning, I told the same and I boared the 1 with the new meter. Soon I realised why the drivers were all giving wry smiles. This meter was no better and I had chosen the driver by whom I would get cheated!!
All such experiences make me stay away from autos as much as possible. However, there are times when they become unavoidable. God knows when the government will wake up (will it ever?) and take some strict measures to control this auto menace.
So, why don't you share your bad experiences (I bet you have 1) with autos?
2 comments:
uh..let me get this straight - you want us to share our auto experiences? Man.. if people start narrating it here, you are going to learn what "infinite loop" really means :D
ok.. I'd like to narrate the "auto-walla" experience.. but from outside. What I mean is when autos harrass you not when you are a passenger; but when you are driving your own vehicle anywhere within 10 meters radius of an auto.
These are The Seven Commandments of Auto Drivers:
1)Thou shalt break the lane discipline in every way possible
2)If thou have to take a right turn at the next junction, thou shalt always be in the extreme left lane and vice versa
3)Thou shalt overtake another auto in every slight incline (both of u at sub-20 kph) and in the process block both the lanes; and about 200 vehicles behind you.
4)When thou have to take a U-turn, thou shalt wait till a vehicle approaching from behind is within kissing distance from you; and only then shalt thou start taking the U-Turn.
5)When thou are waiting at a signal; thou shalt suddenly try to manouvre left and right to reach 3 inches closer to the signal than thou previously were; in the process scraping one 2-wheeler and one car mirror.
6)Thou shalt NEVER EVER give proper signal or indication regarding which way thou want to go.
7)Thy rule-of thumb when squeezing through gaps in traffic shalt be: If there's enough space for the front wheel, then there's enough space for the whole vehicle.
But the positive side is that all auto-walls break the rules; and it has become predictable these days. An auto-driver following the rules properly will almost cause an accident; because other motorists would be expecting him to do something different :P
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