[siddharthdeb]

@selfdrive

That is the simply the best writing I have seen in some time. It made my day on a slow Tuesday .

My full lot of sympathies to you for enduring it for so long. I would have given up way earlier.

My earlier daily drive of 60+ Kms in Mumbai, could be done in 45 mins in the local train but I simply could not get myself to adjust to it. I used to be more tired at the end of the train ride than I was at the end of the day when driving (Don't flame me for it). Some of us just aren't built for it

Cheers
Sid

[rjstyles69]

Fantastic thread man, made for a wonderful read on an otherwise boring Tuesday afternoon. I could very well relate to your drive to office in the cab coz my office is also 24kms one way. The noodle ad part was hilarious dude.

Originally Posted by sajo

Worse still , I seemed to be the only person in the cab suffering from this (which includes the cab driver). My co-passengers were un-freakinbelievably aloof about everything.

And one of our cab drivers beat you pal. He has this honking syndrome where he honks at speed breakers also, no kidding he does it. One of those stereotypes who thinks he should be on the podium next to Vettel.

[noopster]

Nice thread, selfdrive- very well written indeed!

I confess to being as bad as you at this office commute thing. I have taken the office bus only once. The noise was so loud it drowned out my i-pod.

One more annoying thing is that most people in my company who take the bus are so wrapped up in their own private universe that there is hardly any conversation or joking around that happens. So the hour long commutes (or more) are really boring. Since I grew up in Bombay and am used to boisterous gangs of card players on briefcases in the local trains there, that is a bit of a bummer for me

[kalpeshc]

Sorry, but this reminded me so much of Sam. You, sir, have a flair for bringing smiles on the faces of people by your writing. Please keep sharing your thoughts with the forums.

[rahul_sinha]

Awesome thread selfdrive! Super-hilarious. I guess it underlines your earlier signature (IIRC it was: every person driving faster than me is a maniac and slower than me is a moron)

When a man's gotta go, a man's gotta go.

[anu21v]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Day -1 and earlier

As with all normal taxpaying IT worker class (partial credit for this term to fellow bhpian @sajo) it was getting mighty unaffordable to continue at my existing workplace. Yes the commute was only 6 kms one way, but for some reason they expected me to work. To make it worse, they expected the work to be done at odd times, and even. For those who think that laptops and ‘flexi’ working hours are a boon, please read the fine print. Nevertheless, to cut a long story short I had to change my employer. The not so shiny part is that I am notoriously horrible at interviews. More so by those conducted by fellow desis. The only glitch was that it was located on the other side of Pune. The organization i.e. My commute increased from 6 kms one way to 25 kms one way.

Excellent Sense of humour selfdrive. Just ROFL after reading the entire posts. Btw which side of pune you work, Hinjewadi?

Originally Posted by selfdrive

I reached the Chevy showroom and asked for the Beat OTR price. I got an answer of 7.2 L, and I laughed in the SA’s face. I still don’t get why it is priced like that.

Chevy Beat costing 7.2L OTR ...that too in pune (Thats whr it is manufactured) ...really?... not possible.

Read this, Even the top end LT(O) is 5.45L Ex SR.. might have gone up by another 20 thousand or so after its launch.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...eview-0001.jpg


...so unless the Dealer was fleecing you it could have no way reached 7.2L... and you could always pick a starting model and use the Pune Mumbai Highway. Seriously, I would have definitely gone for if i had been in your place.

[mkpiyengar]

Fantastic Points and wonderfully written.

I can relate to all the points you mentioned and WOW, what a fantastic sense of humor.

Remember during my earlier days, my colleague challenged me to take the company bus for a week (5 continuous days) and i precisely managed to do just what you did 3 days of bus and back to self-driven commuting !!

Precisely, that is the reason i choose to drive 30 kms one way, only saving grace being having a diesel car.

Cheers
MKP

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

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!).

Thanks SI, I am glad that people read through till the end. Now I have to find some other way to use my invisible cape!

Originally Posted by noopster

Since I grew up in Bombay and am used to boisterous gangs of card players on briefcases in the local trains there, that is a bit of a bummer for me

Thanks noop, though my only travel on Mumbai local trains was in summer vacations, I can recollect that noise and energy. I also remember seeing some bhajan groups (or some religious songs). I think if it was a train or a metro rail system, I would have continued the commute.

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

Sorry, but this reminded me so much of Sam. You, sir, have a flair for bringing smiles on the faces of people by your writing. Please keep sharing your thoughts with the forums.

To be honest, I didnt really know what to say to that. It sounds very odd that a polar opposite (of Sam) could remind you of him. But then I have read some of his TLs too and I guess some of it is imbibed subconsciously.

Originally Posted by rahul_sinha

Super-hilarious. I guess it underlines your earlier signature (IIRC it was: every person driving faster than me is a maniac and slower than me is a moron)

Thanks Rahul! yes that was the signature before I found myself in a hole digging further
When I saw your post yesterday, I was in the elevator and I also saw another post from your handle. You were talking about a car pool and you had addressed yourself. Talking to yourself in public, are you?! When I saw the thread now, that post had disappeared.

Originally Posted by anu21v

Just ROFL after reading the entire posts. Btw which side of pune you work, Hinjewadi?Chevy Beat costing 7.2L OTR ...that too in pune (Thats whr it is manufactured) ...really?... not possible.
Read this, Even the top end LT(O) is 5.45L Ex SR.. might have gone up by another 20 thousand or so after its launch.

Thanks anu21v, it is Kharadi. I live in Kothrud.
The Beat LTO is 5.97L ex showroom. I dont know why he said 7.2, but then that box is too claustrophobic for me. Maybe if it was a two seater, I would have considered it.
I just hope to convince my family that a motorbike is safe for the commute.

[rahul_sinha]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Thanks Rahul! yes that was the signature before I found myself in a hole digging further
When I saw your post yesterday, I was in the elevator and I also saw another post from your handle. You were talking about a car pool and you had addressed yourself. Talking to yourself in public, are you?! When I saw the thread now, that post had disappeared.

Saar, that post was from adalvi. There is some chemical locha going on in my office, having 5 tbhp members, and all our logins are getting interchanged without any notice

[kalpeshc]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

To be honest, I didnt really know what to say to that. It sounds very odd that a polar opposite (of Sam) could remind you of him. But then I have read some of his TLs too and I guess some of it is imbibed subconsciously.

Now that I re-read my comment, it appears that it may not have come out as I expected it to. It is meant purely as a compliment and not otherwise. I am not comparing the writing styles here but the fact that reading both Sam's TLs and this thread makes one smile I am already looking forward to your next TL.

[sandeepmohan]

Enjoyed reading your story and experience with using Office Transportation. I would use it provided it was faster, safe and comfortable. With the way things are, there is just no way.

I work in a shift too but do a 7am to 5pm fixed time. At this time in Bangalore, the roads are starting to get choked already. For the commute to work which is at ITPL, Whitefield, I use the standard route from my house in Cox Town. It is 14km and takes me about 30min on my motorcycle when I leave home at 620am. Longer if I take the car and my car runs on petrol too. I could not care less about the environment, it would just burn a hole in my wallet if I used the car everyday. On the return, I take a massive detour just to beat traffic as even as early as 5PM, the usual road route back home is horrible. The return road is 28km and this takes me exactly an hour to reach home with just one signal on the entire route. I am also on a 4 lane highway for a good 7-8km. So the ride or drive is faster and a lot less stressful. If I opt for the usual 14km on the way back home in the evening, takes me the same time as the 28km route except that I won't be going over 3rd gear on my motorcycle and bumper to bumper traffic for the entire 14km. Being an Enfield motorcycle and crawling in traffic, my nuts are also roasted by the time I get home. The 28km route for me has been a life saver.

The company I work for does provide cabs but things are a little different. Every individual will be provided a cab if they are asked to come in early to work, that is 7am or earlier or leave after 8PM. These times do not apply for me and even if they did, I would stick to my bike.

My wife will be starting her new job in a weeks time and will be opting for a cab as it is surely better (Can't comment on safety.) than using a bus in Bangalore. The company won't pay for it. She will have to cough up Rs. 2500 every month which I think is okay for the comfort and convenience. She will be going through the exact same episode you did and will very soon give up. We will need to quickly save up some money and buy her a small car.

As for your comments on Bangalore Metro, as it stands, it is probably the worlds most useless metro.

A Beat diesel for 7lacs???? No way.

[voodoochild]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

The company I work for does provide cabs but things are a little different. Every individual will be provided a cab if they are asked to come in early to work, that is 7am or earlier or leave after 8PM. These times do not apply for me and even if they did, I would stick to my bike.

We have a kind of similar system at our workplace in Pune, where a cab is provided to people working early and late shifts (6am-3:30pm or 3:30pm-12midnight). I had to work that second shift for a month long ago. Had the luxury(?) of the cab, but a midnight motorcycle ride is just so darn irresistible!

[Mafioso]

It was just amazing reading your thread!! Loved the way you narrated your story. Just could not control

A good read to make my boring day at office eventful.

[tachobells]

Hilarious write-up. Loved every bit of it.

And I could very well relate to it. After changing job from a place which was 4 kms away to 25 kms away, I've tried various options too.

Office cab/bus for about 7-8 days, AC Volvo bus, Non AC bus, buses through expressway, this, that..

Finally, to hell with the traffic, damn the toll, damn the fuel prices..
It's one life, one religion - LIVE TO DRIVE!

[vasanthn21]

Awesome style of narration!

I was in a similar situation with respect to change in distance to office. I drive 35 kms one way. There is a campus bus available, but with "Live to drive" stuck on the hatch glass, how can I miss this opportunity.

I love driving and try to make the daily commute fun in various ways. One of my favourite "sport" in Bangalore is identifying bylanes/short-cuts to avoid signals and clogged roads. With changing traffic flow every other week, it is exciting after even a few months of driving between the same locations.