Team-BHP - The Cheating Auto Drivers of Bangalore. Be careful even with digital meters!

Quote:

Originally Posted by snaronikar (Post 774178)

Moral of this is not all the auto drivers are same as explained here. There are also some clean ones. But we need to really search these guys and if at all you travel in these guys autos, you will be very happy that these guys are atleast honest.

Yes, there are good auto guys, but very few. Whenever I encounter one of these guys, I make it a point to appreciate their hinesty/good behaviour and tip them without being asked for.

Two incidents that I would like to narrate here.

1 - Car was at RNS Motors , Ypr for a service and I was on my way to collect it. Stop a rick and he offers to take me there for 20Rs. I don't bargain since I hate this breed and find no point is wasting my time.
We are off and about 200 mtrs from the service station we get pulled over by a cop near the traffic light.

Cop asks for the papers and the driver doesn't have any. Next thing I see is that the auto driver tries to flee from there. The constable manages to grab him by his shirt and brings him back. All this while I am sitting in the rick with no clue as to whats happening.

Constable walks upto me and says that I would need to get off and find another rick. Outta curiosity I inquire what happened and this is the response " Auto was a stolen one " :Shockked: .
I am like :uncontrol you gotto be kidding me. Well I saved 20Rs and walk up to the service station.

After this incident I swore never to take a rick again.

2 - Wifey takes a rick and the same 100 Rs gimmick is tried , with the auto driver re-setting the meter after 100. Wifey being a localite decides to take the auto driver to task.
She made him pull over at Sadashiv Nagar Police Station and calls a cop. Seeing a woman involved the traffic cops were at their best to resolve this for her. They question the auto driver about this 100Rs reset theory and he has no response.

Wifey was adamant that they either find out what the theory was all about or fine the errant driver. The cops couldn't bear her torture anymore(guess so) , fined the auto driver for a faulty meter.
I am sure they fined him is only coz he couldn't explain the theory behind this 100Rs reset.Also they dint have a way to prove that his meter was faulty.

Its a crazy situation,when you get into an auto. You have no idea how much you'll end up shelling for a 2km trip or a 15km one. And if nothing else happens, there's a high chance of autodrivers joining forces and getting back at you when it comes to the money.

I hope the metro rail system comes up ASAP and is maintained well enough for people to give up using autos. If the useage goes down,over time the number of autos ought to go down too. That in turn,would help easen traffic conditions.

Will that ever happen? God alone knows..

Actually, leaving aside notorious autos of bengaluroo and chennai many other places do have fairly decent autos in comparision. In fact inspite of all the complainings I feel hyderabad autos are comparatively kiddos in front of these guys. Generally they ask for some extras. Earlier they used to have those worn out gears in mechanical meters for rigged fares. Nowadays they are apparently at sea since they have been forced into digital meters by the government. People are damned happy here for the time being as they never paid such low fares. Example: earlier a ride from Karkhana to Panjagutta used to cost anything above Rs.60 Nowadays with digital meter it comes to just around Rs. 40!

I am sure they will sooner than later find out a way to rig the digital meters like their bangalore counterparts but till then people here in hyderabad are definitely rejoicing. :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zappo (Post 774572)

In Calcutta this meter tampering is rampant amongst the cabbies. When you point out that the fares seem to be inconsistent, they play the polite line, as to pay what you think is the regular fare, at which point if you quote an extremely low value, you would be surprised that the driver will tell you the exact fare that should have appeared in the meter.

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akroy : I would love to see NANO replacing Auto which will lead to safer, faster, less pollution traffic.

It's about this breed of auto-drivers, than the vehicle itself. Like others, I too pay small tip on those rare occasions when I feel the meter is good.

But, at Rs 7/- per km, plus a 10% rigging = Rs 7.70 per km, it's far more attractive to take your wheels out for a spin. You could do a to-&-fro trip at the same cost, and in comfort. Unless it is necessity like when you are travelling out of town.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zappo (Post 774572)

Nowadays they are apparently at sea since they have been forced into digital meters by the government. People are damned happy here for the time being as they never paid such low fares. Example: earlier a ride from Karkhana to Panjagutta used to cost anything above Rs.60 Nowadays with digital meter it comes to just around Rs. 40!

They have already started asking for Rs 10 extra!!! However, getting to see the digital meters was a pleasant suprise, something which was not possible in Bangalore!

I had to go to Manipal Motors, Airport Road to collect my car. Wifey wanted to tag along. So we both reach Kumaraswamy Layout Main road and start looking for an auto. There are a few autos but they inform us that there was an auto strike and cannot come. (This was some time in the first week of Jan). Then a very drunk auto guy offers to take us for Rs.500. We just ignored him and started walking away.

Then we spot another auto near a bookshop. The guy is polite, speaks good English and tells us that while he is willing to take us, he will have to take interior roads and avoid main roads. Also he will not be able to use the meter as there was a strike going on and fellow auto drivers may cause trouble. The price he quotes is Rs. 200. (Quick calculation - distance ~ 25 kms x 7 = Rs.185). So we agree.

In conversation, we found out that his son was a bright student, who had scored 96% in class 10 and 98% in PUC I year. He was at the bookshop buying a book for his son. He needs to buy one more guide costing Rs.300 and that is why he was out trying to earn some money to get the second book as well. I can feel the sense of pride this guy has when talking about his son.

We are near RV Dental college, when a few other auto drivers forcibly stop us and deflate the auto's tyres. We are asked to take a bus. While alighting from the Auto, I quickly slip Rs.50 to the driver for his efforts.

10 mins later, this guy comes looking for us in the bus-stop and informs that he has got the tyre pressure fixed and we can proceed. I was taken aback. I asked him why he wants to take the risk and he says " Sir, you have already paid me more than what my service was worth. I need to do justice to that". I am speechless and we get back into the auto.

He then manages to take us to Airport road without incidents. When we get off, I offer him Rs.250 and tell him to get his son the guide. He politely refuses, saying " I will work and educate my son Sir. Please pay me Rs.150. You already paid Rs.50 and we agreed for Rs.200".

Needless to say, we took the guy's mobile number and since then he has been my wife's favourite Auto guy to go out shopping when I am not able to take her in my car.

Wish there were more such souls around.

Cheers,

Rajan