[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by AJo

I am planning to hire a driver in Pune. Typical work hours - 8.30am to 7.30pm (6 days a week). Driving distance - 40Km max per day.


I talked to one person - who has about 3-4 yrs experience & he demanded 12k per month!! Sounds rather expensive or is this the norm?

Any pointers on average salaries in Pune for drivers?

AJ

Hi AJo, we pay our driver 10000/- per month and 400 rs for out of town overnight stay. Work timing is 10am to 9pm and he is 50+ and has good driving skills. Once in a while we also pay him additional money if he stays beyond 11pm and unable to get the public transportation or else he takes the car to his home. 12k is little high for Pune and that too for normal 9-7 duty. If you want I can ask my driver if he knows someone who is looking for such work. Let me know.

[AJo]

Originally Posted by PPS

I pay my driver who has more than 10yrs of experience 11k per month + overtime!

Hi PPS - Thank you for the information. You are right - getting a good driver is really tough! I have been on the lookout for some days now.

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

Hi AJo, we pay our driver 10000/- per month and 400 rs for out of town overnight stay. Work timing is 10am to 9pm and he is 50+ and has good driving skills. Once in a while we also pay him additional money if he stays beyond 11pm and unable to get the public transportation or else he takes the car to his home. 12k is little high for Pune and that too for normal 9-7 duty. If you want I can ask my driver if he knows someone who is looking for such work. Let me know.

Thanks Skyliner.
I guess 10k-11k for experienced drivers sounds ok. I was looking at 7.5k-8k ( for 5-10 yrs experience) & was wondering if my expectations were unrealistic when I heard the demand for 12k. Would be great if your driver can suggest somebody. I am located near the Bhosale Nagar area (near University).
Regards,
AJ

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by AJo

Thanks Skyliner.
I guess 10k-11k for experienced drivers sounds ok. I was looking at 7.5k-8k ( for 5-10 yrs experience) & was wondering if my expectations were unrealistic when I heard the demand for 12k. Would be great if your driver can suggest somebody. I am located near the Bhosale Nagar area (near University).
Regards,
AJ

You are welcome! So we live in the same area, I am located near ICC trade tower Will PM you if I get any info.

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

You are welcome! So we live in the same area, I am located near ICC trade tower Will PM you if I get any info.

How to get good driver on day basis in pune

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by Anupam

How to get good driver on day basis in pune

As far as I know, there are two ways:

1. There are agencies who provide such drivers and charge on day rate basis albeit expensive.

2. Using connections of any driver because usually they have drivers in their circle who are either unemployed and are willing to do small jobs like 3-4 days duty or they do it on their weekly off day to earn extra.

My driver knows such drivers and we have used such services. My FIL knows exactly how much we paid for it but I believe it was in range of 400-600 per day. This was last year.

[AJo]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

You are welcome! So we live in the same area, I am located near ICC trade tower Will PM you if I get any info.

Appreciate your help.

Originally Posted by Anupam;3241457

How to get good driver on day basis in pune

I googled & came up with "indian-drivers.com". They claim to provide drivers for daily / monthly basis in Pune. No idea on their reliability. Have never used them.

AJ

[rahulsharma2008]

Dear Bhpians,

Although I am die hard "Live to Drive" Bhpian and subscribe to the "Love Cars. Live Cars" school of thought but driving in the city has become increasingly frustrating these days especially in the peak hour traffic. Crumbling infrastructure, insane pollution levels, stupid honking, reckless drivers, zero regards to traffic discipline along with fatigue, Work pressures and family responsibilities all lead to a deep sense of hatred for driving in the city. Most realistic solution to this? Hire a Driver. You part with an X amount of moolah every month and buy yourself some peace but what about the additional headaches that come along with this new luxury?
In the past I have hired a couple of drivers but couldnt really keep any one of them for a sustained period. In fact the major irritant was the driver spoiling the interiors of the car by sitting in the car all day long. Eating and sleeping was expected but running the battery dead by listening to radio all day long along with the perpetually 'on' fan blower was the deciding factor of the pink slip to my last driver. I love my cars and my heart shrinks when anyone does wrong with them. The concerns of hiring a driver are as follows.

1. Wastage of fuel by switching the engine and AC on whenever the driver pleases. (Infact I see so many drivers do this across Mumbai and feel pity for the owners and country's import bill).
2. Possibility of a blown up fuel pump or a dead battery since the car remains in ignition 'on' mode so that the driver can keep the blower 'on' (when not using the AC).
3. Misuse of car while the owner is in a meeting or cinema. For example, the driver taking the car on a merry ride along with his fellow driver friends.
4. Decrease in the general ambiance of the car's interiors since the driver does all sorts of things in the car. Generally feels more when you take the steering wheel on weekends.
5. Increase in maintenance (can vary from little to high) of the car since drivers abuse our cars depending on the situation. No matter how good the driver is, he will never drive it like the way we drive ourselves.
6. Any other malpractice like giving lift to strangers (whenever he is riding back alone) for a measly sum.

One thing that comes to my mind tracking ac usage is a feature called AC Timer in one of the cars of Mahindra/Tata allows fleet owners to keep a track of AC usage. Can we have a similar device installed?

In this day and age of Inflation, rising fuel costs and declining quality of urban life, any additional expense or headache leaves a bitter scar on car ownership experience. I am sure many of us would have faced the above scenarios and found a way out. Remedial measures from the Team-BHP fraternity are highly desired.


Note: Respected Mods, Please merge this thread in the right section in-case required.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by rahulsharma2008

[*]Wastage of fuel by switching the engine and AC on whenever the driver pleases. (Infact I see so many drivers do this across Mumbai and feel pity for the owners and country's import bill).[*]Possibility of a blown up fuel pump or a dead battery since the car remains in ignition 'on' mode so that the driver can keep the blower 'on' (when not using the AC).

Although, I don't need, neither have the luxury of a driver, but the above points hold true even at service centers. Many mechs, specially ones involved in some interior work would indulge in the above practices like keeping the blower or worst, the AC on, radio on - some even have their own flash drives with their choicest of songs in their pockets!

Also, since there are people whose cars are driven less, which includes me, have to be more careful about these points, esp that of which concern the battery. I make it a point not to switch on any electronic toys of the car like the blower, radio, navigator, cell phone charger, tyre inflator or even the power windows.

All the above irritate petrol heads for sure.

[alpha1]

Woah! I expected something radically different from this thread upon reading the title.

"Worse to Drive. Worst to be Driven."
to me it appeared to have cars that are really horrible to drive, and similarly those which are horrible to be chauffeured in ...

[navin]

Originally Posted by rahulsharma2008

but driving in the city has become increasingly frustrating these days...Hire a Driver.

The concerns of hiring a driver are as follows.

1. Wastage of fuel by switching the engine and AC on
   
2. Possibility of a blown up fuel pump or a dead battery since the car remains in ignition 'on' mode
   
3. Misuse of car
   
4. Decrease in the general ambiance
   
5. Increase in maintenance
   
6. Any other malpractice like giving lift to strangers (whenever he is riding back alone) for a measly sum.

Remedial measures from the Team-BHP fraternity are highly desired.
.

Rahul,

let me say at the outset, I completely sympathise with your point of view.

My family and I are almost always chauffeured at least during the worst traffic hours of the day. Before me my dad too almost always was chauffeured.

So far in our experience we have never had the issue of drivers using the air-con when we are not in the car and the car is parked, misuse or any malpractice (aka giving rides to strangers etc).

However, yes the general maintenance and even the cleanliness of a chauffeured car cannot compare to one that is exclusively owner driven. To reduce this we have set in place the following rules.

a. The drivers are expected to put on and remove a seat cover for the chauffer's seat in the morning and evening.

b. Every Saturday the drivers are expected to vacuum the cars clean and this includes the trunk.

c. When the family goes on holiday the cars are given for service and detailing. I correspond with the service and detailing companies directly and have a check list for each of them to follow - the detailing check list is being updated with information from 2 new threads on that subject on TBHP (See Technical Stuff).

Monitoring these 3 is pretty easy since both my wife and I can and will drive in the late evenings or early mornings and if we find the cars a mess the chauffer will get a earful. My wife has even fired a chauffer or 2 for being negligent.

Since our duty is pretty light (home - office - home) and often involves the chauffer earning overtime (late) most chauffeurs do not want to loose this cushy job.

lastly I agree that very few chauffeurs will drive a car as sensibly as we would do. I find that the FE I get exceeds what my chauffer gets in the same traffic conditions by almost 1 kmpl. I don't know why but all pleas to drive more sensibly have so far fallen on deaf ears.

Chauffeurs are more likely to cut left or right without using the OVRMs, brake later when an imminent red light is plainly visible, accelerate harder when there traffic conditions do not really permit, park the car with the ORVMs unfolded, ...the list of my peeves is endless and all my attempts at educating the ones I have had have failed miserably.

I now consider the limitations of chauffeurs as a "necessary evil". For many of us the advantages of using the traffic time fruitfully, not having to find parking, etc.. outweigh the 'peeves'.

[johy]

Originally Posted by rahulsharma2008

Dear Bhpians,

One thing that comes to my mind tracking ac usage is a feature called AC Timer in one of the cars of Mahindra/Tata allows fleet owners to keep a track of AC usage. Can we have a similar device installed?

http://www.tatadocomo.com/smartcar-security.aspx

We tried this in town (Siliguri), but is not very effective here. It is supposed to give you data on everything, from routes taken, stops, even AC/engine running. Worth a look.

• Geo-lock the car - Get an instant alert if it moves away from the designated geography.
• Undue stoppage alert - Get alerts when the car stops for more than a defined duration.
• Over Speed alert - Get alerts when the car crosses the defined speed limit.
• Route replay - Replay the route on map which you might have taken on a particular day.
• Reports on distance travelled, stoppages, over-speeding, route deviation, geo-fencing.
• Places of Interest - Get details of Car Workshop, Police station, Hospital, ATM, Tata Stores, Petrol Pump, Food joint & Cinema Theater on your mobile for the mentioned POI within 5 kms of the GPS location of the SmartCar Device.
• Ignition Alert - Alert whenever your engine switched on.

Source - Tata Docomo

[Biraj]

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Being chauffeured around has its own set of luxuries and challenges attached to it. While I agree that many of the points mentioned can be irritants but we also need to take a humane view at the situation. While we go for our meetings or work, is it fair to expect the chauffeur to either stand outside facing weather elements or inside the car without AC and radio? Unless, we are able to provide the chauffeur with a proper resting place or we allow them to go (to meet friends or complete some personal task) for the period in which we do not need their services, we shouldn't complain about them keeping the AC and radio on.

My dad's car is always chauffeured around thus, I understand the challenges in employing a chauffeur. What I have learnt over the years is that if we treat them with respect, they reciprocate it and if we chose to be indifferent to their needs or comfort, they reciprocate it too. Another key point is paying them appropriately. If we cut corner in salary, they will make it up through other (inappropriate) means. Putting devices meant for fleets in your car, might not help much. Instead paying them appropriate wages and then taking care of their comfort will definitely help. What we do is, we always let our chauffeur free when we don't need his services. Now, it's his call whether he wants to rest in the shade, play with our dog, or attend to some personal task. We tell him, when we expect him back and if there's an emergency we call him on his cell-phone. At least in the past 20 years that I can remember about the chauffeurs in my household, it seems to have worked well.

[bsdbsd]

Originally Posted by rahulsharma2008

Dear Bhpians,

Although I am die hard "Live to Drive" Bhpian and subscribe to the "Love Cars. Live Cars" school of thought but driving in the city has become increasingly frustrating these days especially in the peak hour traffic.

Agree with you. Driving is now only for bravehearts and for people who can commit injustice. I have no other way but to drive by myself and suffer the daily indignities that are thrown at us.

But let me tell you one thing. Whenever you introduce a new human into this equation, your headache only increases. Now, not only you need to manage your car and traffic, you now need manage an additional person. Not to mention, the driver's set of values will surely differ radically from yours...and no...they wont converge over a period of time. I have seen it all.

[kpraveenkr]

Originally Posted by Biraj

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

True

While we go for our meetings or work, is it fair to expect the chauffeur to either stand outside facing weather elements or inside the car without AC and radio? Unless, we are able to provide the chauffeur with a proper resting place or we allow them to go (to meet friends or complete some personal task) for the period in which we do not need their services, we shouldn't complain about them keeping the AC and radio on.

With the rising levels of heat and pollution, I guess the driver/chauffeur prefers to sit inside the car and well that would entail him keeping the AC and radio on in our tropical hear.

My dad's car is always chauffeured around thus, I understand the challenges in employing a chauffeur. What I have learnt over the years is that if we treat them with respect, they reciprocate it and if we chose to be indifferent to their needs or comfort, they reciprocate it too. Another key point is paying them appropriately. If we cut corner in salary, they will make it up through other (inappropriate) means. Putting devices meant for fleets in your car, might not help much. Instead paying them appropriate wages and then taking care of their comfort will definitely help. What we do is, we always let our chauffeur free when we don't need his services. Now, it's his call whether he wants to rest in the shade, play with our dog, or attend to some personal task. We tell him, when we expect him back and if there's an emergency we call him on his cell-phone. At least in the past 20 years that I can remember about the chauffeurs in my household, it seems to have worked well.

Agreed. Our family were chauffeured in early 1990s though since then both my father and I have developed a passion for driving and now prefer to drive on our own. But as long as we treat them humanely and make them understand our needs and their responsibilities I guess they will respond in a manner that you would like. There are devices and there are methods to work around the devices! Don't you think that putting in monitoring devices may increase the cost beyond the AC and radio usage in the car! Just a thought.

[navin]

Originally Posted by johy

http://www.tatadocomo.com/smartcar-security.aspx

Great idea,

I assume one will also have to pay for some hardware box that has a SIM card or does the rental cover this cost?

Can it give us a GPS like update on where the vehicle is? This way if my son or mom is in the car I can tell if the chauffer has not driven off with them!