[PVS]

I am based out of Hyderabad, and my daily home to work and back commute is 40 kilometers, over any of the 3 commonly used routes, as per google maps. When I started out on my job with my current employer, in November of 2014, I started exploring options for my daily commute. The suburban train (MMTS) station was a close 10 minute – walk from my home, and after 45 minute ride in the train, I would get off at the Hitec City MMTS station, and walk down and catch the company provided shuttle bus, from the MMTS station to my place of work. The total commute time was close to an hour and 10 minutes, assuming that the South Central Railways, Secunderabad division section controllers were benevolent on the train, and provided it a clear path.

A couple of months into the commute, by the MMTS, and I realized that this is so not sustainable in the long run. My one way commute used to stretch to 1h 45 minutes quite often as the 0940 service that I used to catch, used to be invariably delayed by the controllers, and by the time I used to login at my desk, it used to be 10 minutes shy of noon. My precious morning hours went kaput, in commute. I started looking out for other options, but there weren't many options, and I had to fall back on my car.

The 40 Kilometers long up and down commute, and driving alone especially in the maddening evening peak hour traffic was a bit too much. Luckily, I found a colleague, who happened to stay a few kilometers away from my place, and who also happened to be in our work area. What started out as an occasional back seat ride on his bike, soon turned to a regular practice, and soon we adjusted our work timing, so that we could commute together. I drive a Wagon R and he also has a Wagon R, so it we took turns, with me bringing my car to work on one week, and him bringing his car, the next week. Fuel costs took a substantial dip; I could get company to talk to, and could blissfully sleep on my way back from a tiring day at work (in the week, when it was my colleague’s turn to get his car). This practice continued for two years from March of 2015 till the mid of 2017.

Then I shifted projects, and moved to a different work location. I did try to continue with this weekly car pool option with my colleague; however the project timings weren’t quite working out, so I had to call it quits on that practice.

Having being accustomed to [informal] car-pooling, and dreading the thought of driving all alone, and also trying to contribute my two cents worth towards reduction in my carbon footprint, I decided to try out the car-pooling apps, and started with QuickRide. The first few months with QuickRide was pretty eventful with quite some learnings thrown in, and I slowly started gathering a few trusted regular riders, who would provide a wonderful company in the to & fro commute to work and back. I also happened to know of another car pooling app called SRide, which apparently, was relatively well known in Hyderabad amongst the car-pooling community, so, in order to get more riders, I gradually switched over to SRide. I also realized that S-Ride was paying me more per seat compared to Quick Ride, so that was an added initiative as well.

This saga of carpooling picked up speed, and I soon became a trusted ride giver, and people who took a ride with me kept coming back owing to my hospitality or my car’s good condition or the way I drive – whatever – I soon built up a group of trusted co riders, and as soon as I advertised a ride, the seats would be notched up in a jiffy. Life was good, I wasn’t complaining- had good company, and the fuel bills felt much lighter.

No amount of car-pooling and good company can hide the fact that you still are the driver and you still have to negotiate your car through the crazy evening rush hour mess that is seen on Hyderabad roads, especially those in the vicinity of the famed InfoTech hub of Madhapur and Hitec city areas. And, if the skies open up, the evening commute would become dreadful, with the average time behind the wheel stretching to an average of 2 hours for a measly 20 kilometer commute. Towards the end of my shared ride (after the last of the co-riders have gotten off), I invariably used to lose my patience with the traffic, and ended up reaching home in a miserable state of mind. My kids, who were waiting for me full of enthusiasm, waiting to share their updates from school, had to deal with an irritated and sulking dad, and had to back off without speaking. I hated what this daily commute did to me, but it felt as if I was stuck and had few options.

Somewhere in the middle of my car-pooling saga, came the news of the Hyderabad metro throwing open, its Ameerpet to Hitec city section – and it didn’t catch my attention. After all, the nearest metro station at Tarnaka was close to 4 kilometers away from my place, and I was damn sure I would beat the metro, if the total home to office commute time was considered. After all, the time taken to reach the metro station, take the train, get off at the destination station and find a conveyance to my office would definitely take more time than travelling in my car. I repeatedly shrugged off suggestions from my better half and my mother to at least give the metro a try.

One fine Sunday afternoon, when I was half thru my favorite flick on YouTube, my erstwhile office carpooling colleague calls up, and as we exchange pleasantries, the topic of commute invariable turns up, and he mentions how life became easy for him after he switched over to the metro. Well, that certainly caught my attention and I decided, to give the metro a try for 3 days, and then switch back to carpooling, just in case.

So, the next morning, my wife drops me at the Metro station, and I head up the stairs, go thru the security check, swipe in my metro card (I already had one, the metro PR folks had come calling at our office an year back, and had offered metro prepaid cards, as a complimentary gesture), and await the train. After a 37 minute ride in the metro, I reach my destination station, get off, and take a paid shuttle service (Tata Winger) to my place of work. So all in all, a total time of about an hour for a one way ride to my place of work. Not bad, given the fact, that I had a bulk of the commute time to myself, and could choose to simply relax, or catch up on a book, or stare out of the window on to the city underneath or listen to music.

The trial which started just for a week in May has now become a regular affair, and I simply cannot think of taking my car to work anymore – the Metro has pampered me that much! I park my 2005 Activa at the Tarnaka Metro Parking (Rs 20/- as the parking charges for the whole day are reasonable), and take the Metro to work. The last mile connectivity provided by Metro shuttle is very convenient indeed!

How has life changed after I started using the metro?
• Am coming back home in a much composed, calm state of mind, thanks to no driving in the chaotic city traffic.
• Petrol bills have taken a significant dive southwards.
• The thought of shifting closer to the workplace, in order to avoid long commutes, has now been discarded. I have observed that people living in the 8 to 10 Kms radius of Hitec City, end up spending almost the same time as used to do when I was driving, and my commute distance is 20 Kms one way.
• The need for a second vehicle is no longer felt. With me taking the two-wheeler, the wifey has the car all for herself. Mom and dad, as and when they choose to head out, have the convenience of Ola/Uber/Auto Rickshaw
• My daily walking step target of 10,000 steps is now comfortably met, as I tend to walk a lot – The office to metro station walk itself takes around 19 minutes. During my car pooling days, the max I could do was only 5500 to 6000 steps.
• There has been a gradual disinclination to get behind the wheel now, especially in the city. If I need to head anywhere solo, I look for the nearest metro station and plan for conveyance from that metro station. Some of the prominent metro stations have paid shuttles which take you to nearby areas.

This in essence, sums up my ridership experience with the Hyderabad metro, and how it has made my life a tad better. The fact that I am taking public transport to work, and in the process, doing my small bit to reduce my carbon footprint, also gives that contented feeling.

[Chetan_Rao]

People underestimate what commuting stress does to them, and the knock-on effects on their non-commuting life. Switching to a less stressful mode of transport is worth it for that alone, any material savings (time/money) is a bonus.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

People underestimate what commuting stress does to them, and the knock-on effects on their non-commuting life. Switching to a less stressful mode of transport is worth it for that alone, any material savings (time/money) is a bonus.

Words worth their worth in gold. I spend close to 3 hrs everyday in Bangalore traffic and i will grab any opportunity to reduce my travel time.

[sudeepg]

How I wish I could say the same someday. My work place is near Bellandur and there are really no options other than by road. As it is, the roads are choked to the core. Now, metro work seems to have started which is going to make it even worse. What is currently a 1.5 hour commute is going to increase to over 2+ hours one way. For now, work from home as much as possible is going to be the only alternative for me. I hope the politicians get their act together and finish the metro as early as possible.

[Amity]

I can completely agree with you here. My one way office commute (from Faridabad to Connaught Place) is around 30 Kms. If taking a car, on a good day when I leave before 7:45 AM, I reach office in an hour-door to door but if I leave after 8:15 AM, it takes me anywhere between 1.5-2 hours. In the evening, no matter when you leave office, it takes minimum 1.5 hours. Add to it, the parking charges are on per hour basis in CP which burnt a hole in the pocket. Initially, there was no Delhi Metro service in Faridabad and the nearest metro station was at Badarpur (in Delhi) and it used to be really crowded as almost all of Faridabad used to pour in there. Then metro rolled in Faridabad in September 2015 and commute has never been better. Now, it takes 1 Hour 15 Minutes from home to office (Door to Door) using metro and costs a fraction as compared to commute by Car. Though DMRC has increased fare (Rs. 23 to Rs 50 one way) and parking charges at its stations (Rs. 30 to Rs. 50 for 12 hour Car Parking) but still it is nothing compared to costs incurred in Car. Further, it takes a toll on your body and mind leaving you drained and irritated by the time you reach office in the morning or home in the evening. I am grateful for the service of Metro and whenever i look at bumper to bumper traffic on Road, I feel happy travelling in Metro. On few days when I have to commute in the car from Home (when travelling to some other place in Delhi for official work), it just reinforces the feeling how good Metro is. The comfort, convenience and reassurance of service is incomparable.
I have lived in Mumbai for two years and my daily commute was from Malad to BKC in the office bus. For a distance of around 17 Kms, it used to take atleast 1 hour in morning and 1.5 hours in evening. And God save us during rainy season when the minimum time was 2 hours one way. When I had to go to Nariman Point from Malad for office work in the morning, I had to take the Local which was nothing short of a nightmare.
Three Cheers to DMRC !!!

[deehunk]

PVS, you are really lucky to travel 40kms in such a short span of time. Less said is better about Namma Metro, they have just put the BMTC bus on railway track. The attitude of people and management is clearly visible,
*Reserve seats for women,
*Grab the seats no matter where you get down,
*Stand near the doors, block the exit and entry way,
*Stand below the A/C vents, block the air and let others sweat
*No place to keep laptop bags, Stops similar to BMTC buses
*Poor HVAC when trains are full
*45 minutes for 19km travel

[giri1.8]

Chennai metro is good too, only issue is lack of coverage, probably one of the smallest network in any metro. Expansion work might take at lease half a decade easily, entire network might take an entire decade at least.

Hopefully they would finish it by the time I get old and tired of driving in this mad traffic

[turbowhistle]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

People underestimate what commuting stress does to them, and the knock-on effects on their non-commuting life. Switching to a less stressful mode of transport is worth it for that alone, any material savings (time/money) is a bonus.

Thank you for saying this man, these words echo my thought totally!

I started doing almost 100 km a day (49km each side) in early 2015 and used to spend 5 hours in Mumbai traffic with another 9 and half hour in the office. I had a friend who used to accompany me sometimes but I had to take care of driving. I tried ride sharing apps but it wasn't that convenient for me as my timings used to change everyday. I was essentially going home for just dinner and get sleep before driving back next day. The weekends were always packed due to piled up work from weekdays.

When I got married in 2017, my wife gave me an ultimatum that this has to stop in a year and then I started looking out for opportunities. Took me almost a year to find another good job and in January 2019 I relocated to Germany where my commute time is 20 mins on a bicycle/subway. I can't even stress on how this move has impacted our life, for the first time in my career I am experiencing good work-life balance and have complete evenings to us. Our health/mood has improved alot and we get the weekends to explore Europe or play stupid video games . I can't even think about going back to that lifestyle again!

PS. Commute time was the only reason I left my previous job, I loved it a lot and had zero plans to switch/relocate in India. I miss owning a car here though.

[Urban_Nomad]

What an excellent write up. Its not just about some time saved but a change in lifestyle and well being. I am afraid not many understand that

Question - Your commute is 20 KM one way and takes you an hour or so... correct? Have you given cycling to work a thought? It should take you no more than a few minutes more; is a whole lot of fun and the health benefits (wear the mask thingy) are undeniable. Given that the weather is getting cooler; maybe give it a try? As long as your office has a place for you to freshen up and change; I feel its worth a shot

Originally Posted by PVS

Towards the end of my shared ride (after the last of the co-riders have gotten off), I invariably used to lose my patience with the traffic, and ended up reaching home in a miserable state of mind. My kids, who were waiting for me full of enthusiasm, waiting to share their updates from school, had to deal with an irritated and sulking dad, and had to back off without speaking. I hated what this daily commute did to me, but it felt as if I was stuck and had few options.

As a father of 2, the para above hits me in the feels!

We struggle hard to live in this pile of shite, spend money to make living in this pile a bit bearable and try our best to circumnavigate this shite by spending more money. Moreover, we are gearing up our younglings to continue living the same pile (or maybe a slightly better pile elsewhere) so that they can buy more stuff to circumnavigate future shite

I don't have an answer to my rant above but just had to put this down. Apologies for the off topic post

[RaviK]

Originally Posted by turbowhistle

...the only reason I left my previous job, I loved it a lot and had zero plans to switch/relocate in India...

This is a factor for many folks out there (me included). The ability to reach your office in short timespan (<30 minutes for me) is a big plus in today's hectic lifestyles.
I spent close to a decade in Delhi NCR, before relocating to CHD (and few years abroad too), and ever since the commute time has become an important aspect of any job related movements.

[Enobarbus]

Excellent write up PVS. You stuck a chord with all of us here, I am sure. Happy for you that you found a convenient way to commute to work.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

People underestimate what commuting stress does to them, and the knock-on effects on their non-commuting life. Switching to a less stressful mode of transport is worth it for that alone, any material savings (time/money) is a bonus.

Fully agree with you. I stay in Beeramguda and I have to commute to Gachi Bowli. The route through the city is 18 KM one way and takes about 1.5 hours. If I take the ORR its 36 KM one way but takes only 40 minutes, and its infinitely less stressful. Any additional expense on the fuel or wear and tear of the car is definitely worth it.

[saisree]

Great thread. Wish PVS a happy daily commute to the office.

During the initial days of my employment, my office was located at Greams Road - Chennai and I stay at Selaiyur near Tambaram. I used to take my bike to the Tambaram railway station, park it at measly 150/- per month and take the suburban fast to reach Egmore. I had a Scooty parked at Egmore railway station which helps me to travel another 3 Kms. The whole journey took 1:15 hrs of which, ~20 Mins is my drive. It used to be super comfortable and light at my pocket.


Later around 2014, my office got relocated to Nandanam, couldn't use the Suburban rail network and then started my commuting woes. My daily commute to office is a 50 Km round trip between Tambaram and Nandanam. It takes around 1 hour to cover this distance in the morning as I start after 10:30 AM and 40 min to 1 hr in the evening after 9:30 PM. To evade the traffic snarls, I started going late to office and it made me to start late in the evening.

Originally Posted by sudeepg

How I wish I could say the same someday. .

I was in the same boat like you and in the month of May 2018, Chennai Metro opened the Airport - AGDMS Stretch and my office is barely 100 mts from the Chennai Metro - Nandanam Station and it hardly takes a 2-3 Minute walk.

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Chennai metro is good too, only issue is lack of coverage, probably one of the smallest network in any metro.

One of the main issue with the Chennai Metro is, it's not available in the core residential areas or the connectivity to the nearest metro station is either poor or non-existent. Knowing this, I took metro to office for about 6 months and eventually dropped it for the following reasons.

• I cannot park my car at Airport metro as it costs 350/- for a day. No monthly/seasonal pass available
• Suburban network has grown exceptionally and getting some space to stand in the first class in itself has become a daunting task.
• I had to take the suburban train and get down at Tirusulam station and most of the time I had to wait for the suburban train in the return leg as the timing between trains is 20 mins after 9:00 PM.
• Parking woes at Tambaram Station

Back to self drive and I still feel better than the Metro rides in the current scheme. May get back to metro only If I can reach the nearest metro station in ten minutes.

[Abhi_abarth]

Happy for your PVS.

I stay at Old Alwal and do 60 Km up and down daily. I commute through my two wheeler (Access125) and mostly in the same set of mood after returning home (Frustrated and drained). If only we had a metro atleast in 3-4 Km radius it would have been a boon.

S-ride doesn't work as the place where I stay is little isolated and even to get a bus or an auto I need to walk for atleast a KM.

Car is the last thing one would want to use to commute to Hi-tech city

[KrisTvpm]

Thanks man, your writeup strikes a chord with me too! The chaotic traffic situation here in Bengaluru is not much different than Hyderabad, it seems.

Have been a regular bike-rider for office commutes, since 2004 to 2011. What with the long commute (21km one side), started using car more circa 2012 and ended up the exact same way as you mentioned - grumpy, tired, irksome and with a pain in the kneejoint (owing to repeated fractures/ligament tears at same spot, due to bike accidents) after returning home. The young 'un will be awaiting me to tell her a bedtime story, but used to shoo her away much to my own chagrin.

Then, life changed! Started using the A/C volvo buses and ever since haven't had to look back. Though travel times have been arduous -- anywhere between 1.5 to 2hrs one side, I've pretty much got that time all for me and more importantly I'm spared of the torture of driving a vehicle on Bengaluru roads. Catch up on social-media, do studies, read novels/T-BHP... all during this "unproductive" time on the road.

Now, changed jobs and the commute time is roughly 1hr one way. But can't think of going back to bike/car for daily commutes :-) Occasionally try out the quick-ride (as a ride-taker only), but ofttimes the wait-period is 30-40min. which I found quite worthless.

With the BMRCL blessing us with ever-changing project deadlines, no light at the end of tunnel as far as metro here is concerned! Though some routes have opened up, it's nowhere near useful as far as major routes are concerned. Till then, volvo bus it is!

[Accelro]

@PVS brilliant summary of transit for everyone living in the suburbs of Hyderabad.
Before I moved, I had to contend with Similar traffic conditions stretching from JNTU to the Raheja circle which was a paltry 7 kms but used to take more than 40 mins to 50 mins of travel time. I hope they have a solution for that in near future.