[mm403]

Excellent post selfdrive. Infact it reminded me of my 3.5 years of similar drive in indica on the same stretch. After the initial enthusiasm, I preferred reading or sleeping in my 45 min commute. During this time, I also noticed how sun's position changes and which is the best seat in which season to avoid the glare and heat.
My 2 cents, enjoy the cab drive ( observing traffic, reading or listening your fav. music)

[binaiks]

Great! I am still laughing reading the last two "days". I recently made an attempt (rather, forced to) to travel to office by public transportation. I stay in one corner of Bangalore and my office is exactly in the diagonally opposite side of the city - and I need to travel a good 38kms from home to office (door to door).

To travel by public transportation, I need to leave home atleast by 0640 (provided there is someone at home to drop me at the bus stop - which is 2.5kms away from home - else need to leave by 0630 in order to walk up to the autostand and still be on time) so that I'd get a bus on time. BMTC does not like running punctually - so on the first day, the bus came at 0645hrs - that too two of them together. It got later and later, that on the last day I took a bus to office, the bus came at 0715hrs!

I travel by one bus from Hulimavu Gate on Bannerghatta Road to Majestic (the main BS in Bangalore). From there, there are two direct buses to my office in the morning - one at 0730hrs (on somedays, this fella goes at 0715 itself!!) and the next at 0755hrs (this bus never comes before 0810hrs). I need to time-in at office before 0910hrs - else I am at risk of losing a day's pay. Going by bus invariably ends us shooting up my BP.

Evenings are even wonderful - our office (I teach at a college) gets over at 1700hrs - the bell rings at 1700hrs. We can time-out ("punch out") only after 1700hrs - and the superbrains at office have ensured that the clock in the machine is three minutes slow than other clocks! The BMTC bus from our place to Majestic leaves exactly at 1705hrs (this is the most punctual BMTC service I've ever seen) - so its a circus - punch out at 1703hrs (1700hrs on the machine) and run to the bus. Evening traffic and the amazing punctuality of BMTC ensures that I do not reach home before 2030hrs.

After 28 days of travelling by BMTC, I am back to driving now. I leave home at 0700hrs (or later) and reach office in less than 75 minutes (I am a slow, lane-hogger in the morning - and usually play some classical music so that my nerves remain cool). In the evening, I leave office leisurely and take the NICE Road (it costs Rs. 109 one way - but still worth the price) and make it home by 1830hrs!

My commuting cost is skyhigh (so is the maintenance), but I get a lot of time at home as a result.

Unless the Bangalore metro becomes fully functional, I am sure to continue driving.

[amitoj]

Awesome write up, Selfdrive.
Took me back to the days when i occasionally took the office cab from Meenakshi Temple on Bannerghatta road to Manyata. It invariably used to be a Sumo and me being 6ft3, could not fit anywhere in that cab, unless I was the only one in the last part of the Sumo. Occasionally there used to be an Indica which would have padded seats to make sure my hit head the roof.
Return journey used to be a spine racking, ear shattering ride in one of the mini buses.
Like you, and many here, I decided to enjoy the last remaining drops of oil on this planet by driving my own car.

[balajird]

Awesome and Hilarious, thanks for sharing your experience and penning it down in a hilarious way. I took my company bus in Pune for 4 weeks and then decided to take my own ride due to similar experiences. Out of 50 months I stayed in Pune, that was the only 4 weeks I used the company transport, I can understand the plight you have gone through and given our current conditions of "office transport", I am always forced to use my own mode of transportation in India.

[sameerg001]

Awesome man, damn good. Your writing style is hilarious, I could visualize each and every scene, just by reading lines. Undoubtedly one of the best threads on Team-bhp.

Please do come up with more stuff like this.

Cheers,
Sameer

[mayankjha1806]

Great writeup, it was fun while you were in the cab, the fun stopped (for all of us) when you decided to drive .

I am blessed with decent to good office transport, as far as time is concerned it takes about 15 mins more than if i would have driven myself, the drivers are decent, he switches AC on when its too hot, and the music low so that i can put my headphones on and get lost in my own world. So these days i almost never drive to office.

It gives me time for myself, reading, introspection, connect with myself.

I am an LTD fan too, but the traffic kills the fun, so for long distance journey, we almost always drive.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by heman_369

Fantastic writeup Bala.

Originally Posted by callvvijay

Hilarious. I could easily put myself up there in your shoes - had the very same experience in 2008.

Thanks guys. I think most of our families are against a bike for commute. Given all the accident reports I guess they have a point.

Originally Posted by amitwlele

Hilarious Selfdrive. But i should complement you here. You atleast gave it a try.

Thanks sirji, I would not want to wish that HJW commute on my enemies. On second thoughts, maybe a few of my ex supervisors.
By the way, a few years ago when were considering joining that dhol group for Ganpati procession, I did take the PMT bus to and from work for a few days. Now that was some experience!

Originally Posted by mikon

But you were more and more expressive when you were deciding on the commute to office while you were here.
Well, If beat dint fit-in lets set for the cruze or the outlander that we went to see. Or, the force-one! Whatsay?

Sir, the express has become a passenger. Or a freight train perhaps! I know I shortened the story by only writing about the Beat. If I included all the cars we considered, it would be a wide range and a few more pages. Maybe a separate thread sometime on our mini meet. I promise I will dedicate that to you! oh, and I went via USP (actually from Bremen chowk to Jagtap dairy chowk on a weekday evening around 7ish). No wonder you bought your bike!
Yes, I agree. In terms of music the Jazz rocks. I dont even miss a beat.

Originally Posted by ant_vas

Kudos for such a hilarious article on office transport. Brings back my memories when i used to take office shuttle.

Thanks ant_vas

Originally Posted by sajo

Do you suffer from the Phantom Brake Syndrome ?

I am glad you explained the term. I misunderstood the abbreviation. By the way you were the guy who I was hoping still took the bus to work.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

And now for something completely different - you went to consider the Beat?! That too at 7.2L?!?!

Not really, that was more a demand from the pocket. The eyes were looking at the Outlander. The mouth was talking about the Ecosport/ Duster. The shoulder shrugged for the Ertiga, and the hands were restraining themselves from pelting stones at the Dzires and Corollas of the world. Somewhere in a corner, the heart always thumped for the TBTS. sigh!

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Slightly OT - Now you know why I use the Assembly Line.

yes, I do. But my laziness is damn consistent. Just look at my 2 year old TL and you will know.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

And them poor hapless BHPians never know what is going to hit them before they click on the link! And once they do, I end up all tied in front of their mental firing squads. Squeeze the collective triggers, men!

Looking for a quick escape are you? You wont be let off so easily. Maybe a quiz of some sort based on your writeups and then we ask you to watch 3 Hindi serials back to back followed by a gift of choice new Hindi songs on a DVD. Maybe even a couple of innings of India batting from the last week. That is for starters. Gun squad indeed, dream on!

Originally Posted by Googleman

However, the Thread Leader has very good narrating skills. Enjoyed reading it.
I user to avail office transport. It really depends on your priority. If you think time is more important and money is lesser, you take the transport.

Thanks Googleman! I think you intended to say that we take our own vehicle if time is more important?

[carzone]

Great writing skills selfdrive. Full of humor and you surely know how to set us laughing.

I too take a public transport bus, and when time is not important, I wait till I get an empty bus where I get a seat of my choice well away from the engine. Plug on my earphones, increase the volume, shut the eyes and wait for the journey to get over. Though the journey is relatively traffic free and the bus drivers far from the slow moving, it takes around 40 minutes. I take those 40 minutes as a chance to recver my getting up early sleep.

I wish I had my car while returning, but petrol prices keeps me away. But once in a while, when I am on the wheel, the road seems different and enjoyable.

Great writeup brother.

[mjothi]

Interesting read. You have an excellent writing skills. Great !

Btw, I wonder how did you even tried the cab, do justice to your handle

I agree, this was one of the reason I did not want to opt for cab.

[for_cars1]

Awesome post selfdrive ! I was rolling over with laughter and haven't laughed so much for any other post before, and could relate to your experience as I've been using office transport.

[chandrda]

Amazing, thousands of people go through the same routine everyday. But I haven't seen anyone articulate the experience so well.

Brought back the memories of travel to office by cab from 2002 to 04. We dint have a tavera or indica, it was Tempo Track (some used to call it ambulance and mortuary van) and could accommodate 14 passengers.

The designated driver was almost 60 years and was a retiree from SRS Travel. I usually used to end up driving in the night and drop all the employee before getting dropped home. It was fun all the way as we were young and had no burden as yet.

I have lots of memories from those day in the cab, including the day I met my Future Wife in the cab.

Regards

[Technocrat]

Fantastic narration, loved it completely. I can imagine Pune roads during all the narration.

Nothing beats self driven commute, thanks for sharing

[automachine]

Hilarious narration. Do you also write in magazine ? If not maybe you should. Anyway keep up the good work.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by mjothi

Btw, I wonder how did you even tried the cab, do justice to your handle

to be honest, in hindsight I am not sure why I did that either. But I would not know till I tried it myself!

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Fantastic narration, loved it completely. I can imagine Pune roads during all the narration.

Thanks Technocrat, I do have an incomplete written rant about the Pune road scene. Lets see if I can finish that and put it up too. Its only a few posts, so will add it to the Pune traffic rant thread.

Originally Posted by automachine

Hilarious narration. Do you also write in magazine ? If not maybe you should. Anyway keep up the good work.

Thanks automachine. No, as of now I only write for my own leisure, and probably contribute to the mirth of my friends, and now fellow bhpians. I have enough timelines at work and home, dont want some random magazine fellow chasing after me!

[Swanand Inamdar]

Howlarious! Got to hand it over to you man! Loved reading every bit of it.
Though it is the usual things one rants about, the way it was written, made it absolutely funny to read.

So, you tried being a responsible citizen doing your bit to save the world and mankind, but failed miserably like every one else (self included!).
As they say mate, subah ka bhoola....