Saturday, August 05, 2006

Travelog # 2 - Bangalore Autos

Chennaites might appreciate this post better. We go through the harrowing experience of having to deal with unruly Auto Guys on a daily basis.

I was in Bangalore early this week and found Autos much easier to engage and ply. They generally ply by meter do not haggle much. This is a welcome relief after all the stuff one goes through Chennai. I heard from the local guys that due to increasing demand, Bangalore Auto guys are also starting to become like their Chennai counterparts.

I heard that Chennai is going to revise the Auto fare upwards. It's high time they did that as the last revision was done some 6+ years ago. But what is equally important is enforcement of the revised fare table and ensuring meters work and are not rigged.

Bangalore Autos Ply by Meter
I engaged this Auto at the Bangalore Airport. All I had to do was go to the Auto line and engage one through the Police Officer stationed there (The fare basis is INR 6 per KM). Compare this is to Chennai, where no such concept exist and the arriving passengers are left to the touts hanging out to fleece.

Mandatory display of driver Info
I saw this display on all Bangalore Autos. This is certificate given by the local police allowing the m to operate. Again, comparing to Chennai, there is no proper account of Autos and it is not uncommon to hear that significant number of them ply without any authorization and are owned by influential / Police folks.

4 comments:

  1. Raman

    What are Taxi's are called 'call Taxis' in Chennai and they were popular few years back.. but now they seem to have kind of faded.. (at least, I don't use them anymore..)

    So.. one is left with Autos or private rental cars.. Autos are great for short distance.. but they are out of control now and need regulation..

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  2. Ram,
    yes, i am thrilled about the strict measures being enforced by the Bangalore Police to keep the autos under check and to protect the commuter. A few months ago, it was becoming impossible to handle their demands.
    Ther eis also a move by the traffic police to give them a training on how to be polite and friendly to the tourists - great idea, if they can get someone to participate, no?

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  3. I've always felt that the Taxi/Auto guys in Chennai are bad ( 99 percent).

    I've lived in Bombay and I've been to Bangalore a few times and felt that the Auto guys were really good.

    Not sure how this culture came up in Chennai? I bet its almost the same in entire TN.

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  4. Usha
    It was welcome relief for me deal with the Auto guys in Bangalore.. Kudos to the city police there..

    Narayanan
    Don't know why either.. may be it is part of being 'Chennai'??? A distinction we do without..

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