[rajeshsundaram]

I drive a Xylo. So at all upscale hotels I am treated like a Cabbie . I dont mind that as I know its the culture engraved in our DNA.

But the experience went for a toss in ITC Gardenia Bangalore. The security at the gate was unexpectedly professional. The valet who drove my car to the parking was very professional. And hear this... the other valet who drove my car back to the door was very professional too. Completely unexpected.

Know the cherry on top? The second valet was a tamil guy, and he was happy to see a Erode registered Xylo in Bangalore. We had a quick chit chat, and found that we both lived in Velachery, Chennai around 2008-2010 ... just a few streets away. Man a small world. We had a hearty laugh. Very memorable experience.

[Mango]

This thread is very relatable indeed and there are several incidents where I have felt people have discriminated by looking at our car in both positive and negative ways. Here are several of them:

1) My friend's dad had an Omni in which he used to drop them to school(they had a joint family so it made a lot of sense), I used to go by bus and once I missed my bus to come back home. Luckily my fiend's dad was picking them up that day as well and they obliged to drop me home. The van pulled up and the guard ran after it seeing 5 boys climb a Red Omni(most cabs which transported students were white). Only after confirming that he was their dad did he let us go.

2) The second incident came when I was dropped off to school in our Endeavour which was mostly used for outstation travels but one lucky day it was standing up front and we were getting late so that was the car we took. I overheard our P.T teacher guess the price of the car. The next day he asked me about what my dad did and where I lived. Suddenly all the teachers were interested to know if my Dad was a politician rolling around in a big white SUV.

3) Now that I have been driving for a few years I was limited to our only car, The Ecosport, I learnt driving on it and never thought we'd go any smaller of a car, but the Pandemic hit and to control finances we opted to go for a smaller automatic car than go for a upgrade to the Ecosport and bought a Hyundai i10 Nios. Never have I felt more looked down upon, people deliberately don't give way and even merge into you without looking, the puny horn doesn't set the world on fire but I feel that even pedestrians don't really care that a car is approaching them. The car has been hit twice in traffic just because someone thought that they had the right of way just because they are in the larger car and living in Delhi NCR you can always expect people to come fight you for no fault of yours. It has been just a few months and the car has done around 5000 kms and there are already talks to replace it with Sub 4-m compact SUV.

[aashishnb]

Here is my experience which most of you can relate to:

Most hotels will not allow you to be dropped at the main entrance/porch if you are in an rickshaw as against a taxi. 3 wheels vs 4 wheels makes so much difference. In a lot of office buildings, including some that are fully owned & occupied by a single corporate, a taxi is allowed to drop you on the porch but a rickshaw is not allowed inside the gate.

Now add the Mumbai monsoons to the equation, where on a normal rain day, you will get wet (sometimes drenched) in the 1 minute that you walk from the gate to the porch/canopy, irrespective of your umbrells, raincoats, etc.

So is the company is making a statement - that we do not care if our employees get wet but we will not allow a rickshaw to enter our premises!!!

Off topic, in my current place of work, a large campus in suburban Mumbai, every year rickshaws are allowed to enter during monsoons considering rains and not allowed during the other half of the year. I once asked about this and they said rickshaw drivers tend to be indisciplined & do not follow the rules (it is a one-way loop inside the campus, but these guys will still try to make a u-turn wherever they wish, causing havoc & sometimes accidents).


Having said this, I think 'profiling' and gaining 'intelligence' on potential customers is like the basis business skill that is taught or expected to be learned (at least by sales people) to try and improve the chances of conversions, sales, profitability and in turn their bonuses. Forget sales people, in our respective occupations, I'm sure all of us try to 'size up' the other side.
Only grouse is, even if you've 'sized up', one can still be polite & not be condescending - at least this is one of the most important skills for people in a sales / customer-fronting role.

[tushky]

I was using a silver Tata Indica Xeta GLX until 2018. I totally loved my car and frankly, it was a rare model; very few had the GLX 1.4 then.

Once I was waiting for my parents outside a large exhibition gate. An old lady came to me and asked, "Baner chaloge kya" ("Will you go to Baner?")

Also once I had parked my Indica in Abhimanshree society, one of the decent areas in Pune. I was sitting in the car and waiting for someone. A guy in Honda City wanted to park the car on the same road and there was no space. He passed from that road twice and finally honked at me and asked me to vacate the space. He thought that I am a OLA/UBER cabbie and waiting on the road

Lastly, once on a Tinder date drive, the girl jokingly asked if I were an Ola driver.

[BlackPearl]

The only place I get treated negatively because of the cars I drive is Park Street, Kolkata. The parking attendants there start shouting seeing the Thar and Bolero - "sir this is a big car and you have to pay for 2 parking spaces." I have to literally fight with them and tell them that one is sub 4 meters and the other is just above 4 meters

[51morris]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

I would say there is also a considerable cultural component in this;

When we lived in the USA and I would stop with my Jaguar X308 to get petrol, almost always, somebody would walk over and compliment me, ask me questions. And it would be all kinds of people. In the USA if somebody has a nice car, or a nice house, you compliment them and think about what you need to do, to get one yourself

Here in the Netherlands and certainly in the UK, I am concerned people will scratch it intentionally if I leave it parked somewhere. And it has happened. In some countries/cultures people are incredibly small minded, to the point where they start damaging other peoples goods.

I completely agree!!

When I drive my '87 Austin Mini Mayfair, every time I park the car and get out, I have people walking up to the car for a chat. This being a very popular car in the UK, most people that come over for a chat either owned a Mini at some point in their life or know someone who owned it.

Having said that, I am terrified of leaving the car parked un-attended on the street for extended periods of time. I have had deep scratches left on my daily driver a few years ago (a Toyota Auris then) when it was parked on the street! I never leave the Mini parked on the street for extended periods of time.

Cheers,
Praveen

[maddy42]

My experience comes from driving a 18 year old bolero around bangalore. Cops have actually given me a salute, while stopping the car besides me, autos make way and so with two wheelers who dont want to come close.

I have folks especially from Rajastan come to me and talk about my vehicle and to contact them if i am ever selling it.

Two places where i faced discrimination was valet parking folks felt it was a jeep and too rugged and always tried to engage the parking brake.

One more was when i was on the hassan road, a VW sedans passengers were looking at me shocked as i was able to keep up with them.

Maddy

[nishantbhatia84]

Long post alert!

Having driven with Uber in Mumbai for almost 2yrs, I've had innumerable experiences of being discriminated / treated badly. So much so it had almost become 'normal' for me to come across a person, specially security guards at hotels / corporates / housing societies.
The issue is that our society automatically assumes that just because someone is driving a cab, he is uneducated and ignorant of the world around!

A few instances I distinctly remember:

1. Since I only used to drive with UberBlack, most riders used to be corporate guys or foreign nationals, so I naturally used to communicate in English to make life easier for everyone (and because I can! lolz). I've had innumerable riders asking me how I can speak English!? (weird!) At first I really didn't know what to say but later on I simply used to say "Eh, because I am educated?!"

2. I've had one too many alcerations with building security guards, simply because they 'think' that they're in a superior position compared to a cabbie and would spare no chance to harasse one! Let me cite an example: Its 4am and I enter a posh building somewhere in SoBo for a pickup. The rider is on his way downstairs so I asked the guard where I can park the car temporarily so as to not block the drop-off area. Guard directs me to a spot and I proceed to park with the guard watching me do so. Now just when I am done parking and switch off the car, this guy comes to me and asks me to move the car a bit to the left (like, literally 3 inches to the left!) I am like, what difference does it make? I am right here, inside my vehicle, not blocking anything, and will be probably gone in about 2mins once my rider is here! Nope, nada! The guy is adamant i move my car just because it wasn't exactly in the center of the parking box, at 4am, with NO other car around and probably 20 other slots empty!
I tried reasoning with him but to no avail. At this stage this guy gets agitated and knocks on my bonnet shouting "gaadi hatao!". I lose it, get down of the car and ask him to call his duty supervisor! All of a sudden this guy's tone and demeanor changes completely and he is like "Arre sir, barabar se park kar dete please society waale chillate hain" (Like at 4am there was anyone doing that!)
Guess why the tone changed? The guy saw my clothes and probably understood I ain't no normal cabbie (I had quit my job my JPM Chase and started driving with Uber so had a bucketload of formals which I used to wear while driving just to get that 'work feel')

3. This one time I had visited the Trident Hotel with the wife. Drove into their drop-off area and the guard only opened the door for the wife! (To be fair they would automatically assume it's a passenger drop but then she was seated in the front!) I had to get out of the car and ask for a valet and only once they saw me, my clothes and that my wife stood next to me did they proceed to park it!

4. Another one related to clothes: I was waiting for a pickup at T2 (P7 West - Uber pickup point). Had already spoken with the rider and told him I'm waiting near pillar no. X. I am waiting in front of my car, leaning on it. This guy (the rider) walks up to the car, checks the number plate, looks at me head to toe (and repeat) and then reluctantly asks "are you Nishant?" I reply so and he is relieved! First question he asks once in the car...you don't look like the driver!

5. Many instances of riders wanting to smoke inside the car. My response used to be a polite and firm NO! (I do smoke myself but NEVER inside the car). A lot of riders have been like "I've never been stopped from doing so in the past then why now?" Some arrogant riders were like, "I'm not asking you, I'm telling you!"
In such cases my answer would be standard "You have only booked the car to go from point A to B, the car belongs to me, so the rules are made by me." Only once did I have to actually stop the car and tell the rider that I'm gonna cancel the ride if he smokes inside the car and he can book another cab!

6. How can I ever forget the way other vehicles treat a cab on the road! They honk unnecessarily, cut you off to glory and angry stares are a must! Special mention goes to those who consider any cab overtaking them to be a cardinal sin! Now, there are cases where you overtake a fast car, they get offended, and zip past you. Well, nothing can be done, its a faster car! But then there are people in smaller cars getting mighty offended when you overtake them, and try all their might to overtake you again! (Case in point: I have an Ecosport 1.5 Petrol AT that I used to drive with Uber. Not a fast car but no snail either!) So many instances of other drivers trying to push their hatchbacks in order to overtake on the Sea-link! Feel for them.

Saying all of the above, I have also encountered innumerable people who treated me with utmost respect so it isn't a generalization of the masses per se.

Peace!

[vroom_vroom]

Although I have never been treated negatively because of my car, but yes, I have witnessed change in attitude because of the car I drive.

I own a Volkswagen Jetta and a Hyundai i10.

Once I took my i10 to a 5 star hotel in Pune to overlook the arrangement for an upcoming event that my company was hosting. While valet service was offered to other cars (most of them being big germans) while I was asked to drive and park the car myself to the parking lot. Same evening when I went there in my Jetta, a valet attendant immediately approached me, opened the door courteously and handed over the valet token to me.

That day for the first time I felt the difference in attention one receives depending on what car he/she is driving.

On one occasion, I was asked by a parking attendant of a restaurant to park my i10 on the road side as the internal parking was full. At the same time, the same attendant was seen offering valet service to other guests arriving by more premium cars. However, I was happy to see that eventually my i10 shared the space on the road with those premium cars ... At least, I felt happy for my car being treated at par with others

[am1m]

Originally Posted by nishantbhatia84

Having driven with Uber in Mumbai for almost 2yrs

(I had quit my job my JPM Chase and started driving with Uber so had a bucketload of formals which I used to wear while driving just to get that 'work feel')

Fascinating, please start another thread to detail your experiences. Also if you're willing, something about the motivation and how this came about. Will be really interesting reading.

[vajoji]

My first post - so do pardon any errors.

In a world where external manifestation is the only way by which someone who does not know you, can judge your capability, the car you drive becomes the easiest symbol by which to do it. It's the same deference given to the Alpha Males in most of the animal kingdom.

This reminded me of a quip I heard, about a discussion between 2 watches, a Rolex and a Timex.

The Timex is very curious as to why so much respect is given by the owner to the Rolex than to him since in his mind they both show the same time always.

It sounds much better in Hindi so trying to write it out, apologies in case of errors since Hindi is not a strong subject for me.
The Rolex responds - Aap aadmi ko vakth bathathi ho, mei aadmi ka vakth bathatha hun.

English translation
The Rolex responds - You show the time to a person, I showcase the “Time” (status) of the person.

In a lot of cases of priority or better service for larger cars, it is also a function of risk mitigation by the persons/institutions dealing with the owner of the car.
- More influential person potentially, hence try to be on their good side
- Reduce the risk of vehicular damage and payout higher, hence provide a better parking spot and lesser chance of valet issues
- Potential earnings and margins much higher in bigger car service/repair

So in most of the cases the decision is a lot more commercial in nature, is what I have seen.

[Osteon206]

At one of my previous workplaces - I was asked by a superior to not come driving by my 1996 Maruti 800. Obviously I continued doing it since it was not affecting the work in any way. The M800 was then taken to our farmhouse elsewhere and for a few weeks I was using my dad's 2007 Honda City ZX VTEC (things were fine then), till I found a pre-worshipped 2007 honda CRV AWD. Then they had a problem that this was too big a transition, but things settled when I told it was a used car.

At another of my workplaces I was driving 100km per day within the city between multiple hospitals, still in the CRV. This led to expensive fuel bills. So we ended up selling the CRV and buying my first car - a grand i10 Nios. This was heavily criticised by most colleagues, though it's only me who understood how much I was saving on fuel. But I definitely miss the comfort of the CRV.

[Arun_S]

Recently when i was going in my bike with my wife as it was to a nearby place, took a right turn after proper signaling. A lady in a big car started shouting inferring she being in a car has right of the way, my wife was angry on hearing it, i told chill out, it always happens when you go on a bike as a family.

[amol4184]

Just noticed that a second generation Hyundai i20 is also parked there! Considering it is a budget brand just above Kia in most of the world, I will hope the Littlestairs management hasn't taken even severe action against that car...like setting it up on fire or crushing it.

[Sabrish]

Very relatable Thread! I have had a couple of experiences too.

During the younger roles in the organization while being obviously single and no major commitments I used to keep switching cars (thanks to my mechanic, who had great contacts). On one occasion I happened to park my Accord Automatic right next to the MDs parking slot and boy the look on his face was "Seriously a team lead with an Accord" while he was on a Corolla


And the next occasion at the airport, when I was there to pick up my family in my white Aspire! A gentleman asked me why didn't I have a Placard at the arrival Then I realized the culprit is the "White Aspire" as the cab he was searching for happened to be one too