Hiring a taxi? Check it's tyres. - Error - it was an Alto

Nikhilb2008 · 2nd January 2009, 13:38

Note from Mod - it was found later on, it was an Alto, not a Sumo

Today I got news that a friend of mine died in a road accident on the Pune Bangalore highway. He was here for Christmas and was on his way back to his college.

They were travelling in a Sumo. There were 4 boys and a driver. Somewhere on the road, the tyre burst and the car rolled over and hit the median. All 3 boys in the back seat lost their lives.

Add to this the fact that most taxis that come to our shop have really bad tyres. They dont bother changing them as it costs MONEY.

This is pathetic on the part of the taxi companies. They are playing around with people's lives here.

I dont know how bad/good the tyres on the Sumo were. Just that I have seen plenty of taxis running on tyres that shouldnt be allowed on our roads.

Today, this MIGHT have affected me personally. I have no proof of that. But next time you hire a taxi for a long distance drive, make sure the tyres are good.

If the customer starts insisting on this, then the taxi companies have no choice but to take heed of us.

suren181 · 2nd January 2009, 13:59

Sorry to hear about your friends Nikhil. A very valid point that you have pointed out to w.r.t the condition of the tyres. I surely will pass the message around to everyone that I know to be sure a check is made in these lines before embarking on a journey in a death trap such as this.

Sowmya · 2nd January 2009, 14:18

Its very sad to here this. But this is very true in Bangalore road too. You can see all the Company cabs are running with almost bald Tyre. And what are the risk they are taking ?
1. Life of the Employee.
2. Life of the Pedestrian
3. Danger for the Near by Vehicle
This Greedy Cab Company are making life horrible.

Raccoon · 2nd January 2009, 14:55

^^^ "Almost bald" tyres are a risk only in wet conditions... not otherwise...

But I'v seen worse - tyres which have worn out to the point that the inner casing can be seen. Now these are a big risk in any condition.

snaronikar · 2nd January 2009, 14:56

My condolences to the families of your friends you have lost lives dur to this accident.

+1 to what you have said. We need to be extra careful on this. But how this can be implemented remains a big issue. Consider this for example: You book a taxi and inform them about all the safety things to be there in the car including the tyres. But on the D day the travel company will send you with the taxi which has bald tyres. What will be your reaction? You cannot cancel the tour, you cannot go to another travels as getting one more taxi would take long time, we cannot wait for another taxi to come (from the same travels) as we would be late to reach our destination. We usually tend to accept mumbling against travels and then start of journey. AFAIK, this is what happens in most of the cases.

HappyWheels · 2nd January 2009, 15:13

Sorry to hear about you friend, Nikhil!

And agree with what Snaronikar said.

It is true that most of us will not look at the maintenance of the vehicle that we are traveling in when we book a cab. The most we look for is to check if the ac is working along with the ICE and also if the seats are comfortable. And these are things we insist on. But then, if we were to tell the travel's guy that the vehicle should be having good tire's, I doubt if we ever will get one that satisfies us. A risk that all of us take, partly due to ignorance, partly due to the lack of options! :(

Samurai · 2nd January 2009, 15:14

I agree with snaronikar. You can't see the tyres until the taxi comes. If you tell them about your good tyre requirement, they'll neither understand nor comply. Only if you are repeat customer, you can put some pressure.

Surprise · 2nd January 2009, 15:36

You can take a look at the vehicle before you pay the advance or confirm the booking. Note down the number of the vehicle and insist them to send the same car. Reconfirm before the travel date. Tell them clearly that you are even ready to cancel the booking if a different vehicle was sent. Looks like we start on a bad note, but we will end up in safe note

I have hired a qualis to pick me up from a station and take me around 400 kms on that day. Bald tyres.. no seat belts.. rattling like anything.. and add rash driving to the list. Couple of close calls due to the condition of the tyre + driving

WasavaTyres · 2nd January 2009, 18:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raccoon

^^^ "Almost bald" tyres are a risk only in wet conditions... not otherwise...But I'v seen worse - tyres which have worn out to the point that the inner casing can be seen. Now these are a big risk in any condition.

Raccoon are you trying to say that we can make do with below par grip levels if not driving in wet conditions ?? AFAIC any tyre that has reached it's tred depth indicator level needs to be taken off the rim. All tyre have it marked on them.

me_sid · 2nd January 2009, 18:32

HI nikhil , my condolences to the family.Snaronikar is right in those kind of situation you cant do anything. One option is going for reputed travel agency's like Travel House, Hertz etc. But then again the cost involved, will ensure most hiring them personaly would be thinking thrice before rejecting and opting for cheaper indicabs or qualis for that matter. Then there are the standard cabs or taxis, how many are you going to let go because of their tyres.its practicaly impossible to be so choosy aint it? So here we remain at the mercy of the callous cab owners and a handicapped RTO

Fountainheader · 2nd January 2009, 18:36

You have an early morning flight to catch and book a call taxi for the same. He comes in at 3.30 am and you check the tires. Do you really have an option then to ask for a cab with better tyres ?

Hertz etc can be stretching .. but atleast Meru or some radio cabs can be the best bet.

abhinav.gupta88 · 2nd January 2009, 20:07

Sad to hear about your friend Nikhil.
Nothing can be done about it.
Like Fountainheader mentioned if you are in a hurry like to the airport, you dont have an option do you.

Sadly, the state of indian taxis can never improve ( Not talking about the ones offered by 5 stars et all.)

The last incident i had was .
We were going to Dhikala ( Jim corbett) in a taxi ( Tavera) . A Safari overtaked us and suddenly the driver got so angry that he almost banged into him and almost jumped over the divider. We had to scold him to bring him back to normal.

P.S. I remember his words - Maine har woh gaadi paltaai hai jo meri gaadi ko highway pe overtake karti hai

( Translation : I have turned every car upside down which try to overtake me on the highway )

androdev · 2nd January 2009, 20:35

Sad to read about your friends Nikhil.

this is the reason why i insist on picking up family/friends from airport and don't allow them to take taxi even if the timings are inconvenient. however taxi can't be avoided if you travel to a new place. it helps to book in advance through a known travel agency with clear instructions: clean vehicle, driver should not drive rash, should not smoke, should not use mobile while driving and no stupid music. Hmmm.. now have to add tyre condition to the list.

Nikhilb2008 · 2nd January 2009, 22:25

I am well aware of the situation in our country.

I posted this here while I was still in shock. Didnt think so much before posting. But I hope that at least some of us can get lucky and be taken seriously by the taxi company.

Meru/Easy cabs seem decent for now. Let's see how long it remains like that.

anjan_c2007 · 2nd January 2009, 22:35

Very sad to her about it Nikhil. These private cab operators believe in the minimum investment and maximum profits. Its all the same with buses.We can term ourselves lucky if we perform safe journeys by these modes of conveyance to reach our destinations.
I would always prefer to go by my own car/SUV, train, air and best avoid bus and taxi road journeys on long distance routes.

2nd January 2009, 13:38	#1
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,196 Thanked: 10,138 Times	Hiring a taxi? Check it's tyres. - Error - it was an Alto Note from Mod - it was found later on, it was an Alto, not a Sumo Today I got news that a friend of mine died in a road accident on the Pune Bangalore highway. He was here for Christmas and was on his way back to his college. They were travelling in a Sumo. There were 4 boys and a driver. Somewhere on the road, the tyre burst and the car rolled over and hit the median. All 3 boys in the back seat lost their lives. Add to this the fact that most taxis that come to our shop have really bad tyres. They dont bother changing them as it costs MONEY. This is pathetic on the part of the taxi companies. They are playing around with people's lives here. I dont know how bad/good the tyres on the Sumo were. Just that I have seen plenty of taxis running on tyres that shouldnt be allowed on our roads. Today, this MIGHT have affected me personally. I have no proof of that. But next time you hire a taxi for a long distance drive, make sure the tyres are good. If the customer starts insisting on this, then the taxi companies have no choice but to take heed of us. Last edited by ajmat : 12th January 2009 at 09:40.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 13:59	#2
suren181 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 850 Thanked: 11 Times View My Garage	Sorry to hear about your friends Nikhil. A very valid point that you have pointed out to w.r.t the condition of the tyres. I surely will pass the message around to everyone that I know to be sure a check is made in these lines before embarking on a journey in a death trap such as this.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 14:18	#3
Sowmya BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 493 Thanked: 19 Times View My Garage	Its very sad to here this. But this is very true in Bangalore road too. You can see all the Company cabs are running with almost bald Tyre. And what are the risk they are taking ? 1. Life of the Employee. 2. Life of the Pedestrian 3. Danger for the Near by Vehicle This Greedy Cab Company are making life horrible.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 14:55	#4
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	^^^ "Almost bald" tyres are a risk only in wet conditions... not otherwise... But I'v seen worse - tyres which have worn out to the point that the inner casing can be seen. Now these are a big risk in any condition.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 14:56	#5
snaronikar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 2,845 Thanked: 29 Times View My Garage	My condolences to the families of your friends you have lost lives dur to this accident. +1 to what you have said. We need to be extra careful on this. But how this can be implemented remains a big issue. Consider this for example: You book a taxi and inform them about all the safety things to be there in the car including the tyres. But on the D day the travel company will send you with the taxi which has bald tyres. What will be your reaction? You cannot cancel the tour, you cannot go to another travels as getting one more taxi would take long time, we cannot wait for another taxi to come (from the same travels) as we would be late to reach our destination. We usually tend to accept mumbling against travels and then start of journey. AFAIK, this is what happens in most of the cases.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 15:13	#6
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	Sorry to hear about you friend, Nikhil! And agree with what Snaronikar said. It is true that most of us will not look at the maintenance of the vehicle that we are traveling in when we book a cab. The most we look for is to check if the ac is working along with the ICE and also if the seats are comfortable. And these are things we insist on. But then, if we were to tell the travel's guy that the vehicle should be having good tire's, I doubt if we ever will get one that satisfies us. A risk that all of us take, partly due to ignorance, partly due to the lack of options! :(
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 15:14	#7
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,828 Thanked: 45,547 Times View My Garage	I agree with snaronikar. You can't see the tyres until the taxi comes. If you tell them about your good tyre requirement, they'll neither understand nor comply. Only if you are repeat customer, you can put some pressure.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 15:36	#8
Surprise Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,523 Thanked: 454 Times	You can take a look at the vehicle before you pay the advance or confirm the booking. Note down the number of the vehicle and insist them to send the same car. Reconfirm before the travel date. Tell them clearly that you are even ready to cancel the booking if a different vehicle was sent. Looks like we start on a bad note, but we will end up in safe note I have hired a qualis to pick me up from a station and take me around 400 kms on that day. Bald tyres.. no seat belts.. rattling like anything.. and add rash driving to the list. Couple of close calls due to the condition of the tyre + driving
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 18:32	#10
me_sid BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 318 Thanked: 208 Times	HI nikhil , my condolences to the family.Snaronikar is right in those kind of situation you cant do anything. One option is going for reputed travel agency's like Travel House, Hertz etc. But then again the cost involved, will ensure most hiring them personaly would be thinking thrice before rejecting and opting for cheaper indicabs or qualis for that matter. Then there are the standard cabs or taxis, how many are you going to let go because of their tyres.its practicaly impossible to be so choosy aint it? So here we remain at the mercy of the callous cab owners and a handicapped RTO
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 18:36	#11
Fountainheader Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Silicon Valley Posts: 1,501 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	You have an early morning flight to catch and book a call taxi for the same. He comes in at 3.30 am and you check the tires. Do you really have an option then to ask for a cab with better tyres ? Hertz etc can be stretching .. but atleast Meru or some radio cabs can be the best bet.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 20:07	#12
abhinav.gupta88 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi , India Posts: 4,092 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	Sad to hear about your friend Nikhil. Nothing can be done about it. Like Fountainheader mentioned if you are in a hurry like to the airport, you dont have an option do you. Sadly, the state of indian taxis can never improve ( Not talking about the ones offered by 5 stars et all.) The last incident i had was . We were going to Dhikala ( Jim corbett) in a taxi ( Tavera) . A Safari overtaked us and suddenly the driver got so angry that he almost banged into him and almost jumped over the divider. We had to scold him to bring him back to normal. P.S. I remember his words - Maine har woh gaadi paltaai hai jo meri gaadi ko highway pe overtake karti hai ( Translation : I have turned every car upside down which try to overtake me on the highway ) Last edited by abhinav.gupta88 : 2nd January 2009 at 20:10.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 20:35	#13
androdev Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 3,096 Thanked: 22,336 Times	Sad to read about your friends Nikhil. this is the reason why i insist on picking up family/friends from airport and don't allow them to take taxi even if the timings are inconvenient. however taxi can't be avoided if you travel to a new place. it helps to book in advance through a known travel agency with clear instructions: clean vehicle, driver should not drive rash, should not smoke, should not use mobile while driving and no stupid music. Hmmm.. now have to add tyre condition to the list.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 22:25	#14
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,196 Thanked: 10,138 Times	I am well aware of the situation in our country. I posted this here while I was still in shock. Didnt think so much before posting. But I hope that at least some of us can get lucky and be taken seriously by the taxi company. Meru/Easy cabs seem decent for now. Let's see how long it remains like that.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2009, 22:35	#15
anjan_c2007 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: India Posts: 8,330 Thanked: 20,643 Times View My Garage	Very sad to her about it Nikhil. These private cab operators believe in the minimum investment and maximum profits. Its all the same with buses.We can term ourselves lucky if we perform safe journeys by these modes of conveyance to reach our destinations. I would always prefer to go by my own car/SUV, train, air and best avoid bus and taxi road journeys on long distance routes.
	() Thanks