Team-BHP - Auto Rickshaw drivers from Hell

Of late I have been traveling a lot by rickshaw.
At least 1 trip a day from Vile Parle to Powai - Work.

In these couple months where I started going by Rickshaw Ive had some funny experiences.

I normally keep an eye out for TBHP stickers or any other Automotive anomalies but em usually to slow to wipe out my camera and snap a pic but all to often the action is within the rickshaw.Below are a few incidents

1) Yesterday we were had stopped at the Andheri bridge signal, when suddenly a young mischief monger came and turned the meter and ran off.I could not stop laughing.What made it funnier the rickshaw driver was abusing galore and I was laughing.

2)Last week had a white knuckle ride, with the rickshaw driver who was an out and out adrenaline junkie, this man was on fire No Entry No Signal No Problem . Left lane to right lane any how.I was doing my best to put my hands out to signal . Pics of the muppet below.

3)About a month a ago there was a bus blocking the road near ChatraBhuj school and I just said something to the auto driver, that turned his key. Believe me right from Vile Parle to Powai he was talking continuously.His talks were not normal, he was a fundamentalist chap, started talking against America and lots of other stuff not appropriate here. I tried to show him I am getting bugged and told him to concentrate on the road.But he was actuallly driving slow to look behind and talk.The height was at L&T bridge was told me his meter was fast- I was dumbfounded - this guy is too much. And frankly was a little scared to confront him. But But the irony is when I got off he told me he has made meter fast but he will charge by the old tariff card and explained to me some fundamentalist reason for it :)

I was (actually still) in full lol: when I read the title "Auto Rickshaw drivers from Hell"

They are & will remain like this through out except for 1 in 1000. The reason why they're like this mostly due to BPL family background, frustration in life, frustration on road, lack of education & we could attribute over million reasons.

I used to be totally against these guys due to their exorbitant charges (atleast in Chennai) until one day I realized that they earn peanuts. Most of these guys run a leased auto or take finance for which they've to pay the EMI, pay the goons, cops, RTO, auto stand (membership fee) & they should earn some profit to run their family. This is apart from standard FC, insurance & road tax for public vehicle. So I neither hate not feel pity for them these days; in a lame man language I say "They are like this only"!!!

PS - I could've traveled say about less than 50 times so far by auto rickshaw

Quote:

Originally Posted by aargee (Post 2016183)

The reason why they're like this mostly due to BPL family background, frustration in life, frustration on road, lack of education & we could attribute over million reasons.

One of those reasons being the 'wonderfully' designed vehicle that Bajaj gifted to the nation. A vehicle capable of any sort of manoeuvres.

This reminds me of a crazy auto chap I met once a couple of years back. This guy, throughout my 30 mins ride gave me lessons in what can only be termed as radical male chauvinistic principles and how feminism will eventually cause doomsday!!
His lessons were filled with anecdotes too. One I remember thoroughly. He narrated to me how he once found out the address of airtel call center office and along with his 3-4 friends stormed into it to search for the lady who had given him a promotional call while he was driving his auto.
All the while I was pushing him for more fundas and also feigned to share his radical views. From inside I was somehow controlling myself from bursting out loud.
The most funny part was that he was a young chap in his late teens at max.

And one among them is responsible for a dent on my new car. That moroon could see that i was overtaking him, but still he wanted to overtake the truck before i could.

I was cruising at over 80kmph on NH1 trying to overtake the truck and this trailing auto when this guy all of a sudden came on my way, lucky his auto didn't overturn on the impact.