Have had little exp with delhi daredevils..but ye Mumbaikars rock for sure….autovalahs their have dignity of labor…very particular in terms of monetary dealings…and the meter is always ready to go down….:)..Hail Mumbai!!!…

Btw…i stumbled on ur blog after reading ur husbands tweet..:)…neat blog..:)…

Most of the Delhi autowallas meter is faulty showing neary 1.5 to 2 times the actual rate.I had a funny incident when the auto was in a red light for around 2 mins,the fare went from Rs 17 to Rs 31.When I complained,the autowalla told me that it happened for the first time that day.Fearing that I would complain to the police,he didnt ask me any money.however ,I paid him his due – Rs 17

If you are travelling with the meter on and if you dont know the directions , you will be taken for a ride and end up paying more.Most of the time when the driver had agreed for meter ,he will pretend that he doesnt know the directions and would ask the passenger for the same,if the passenger dont have idea he will take the longest possible route.

In Bangalore,the scenario is little different.Very few would agree to take you on meter.I use to travel to a place daily which is 2 km from the house,the fare comes to Rs 14.During daytime,I would be asked anywhere between Rs 25 to Rs 40,and during night it would be Rs 40 to Rs 60.I agree that during night ,as per the rules after 10 PM ,the fare is one and half times the meter,and I even offer them Rs 25 ,but paying 4 to 5 times is simply unreasonable.

One of my colleague had an incident on his first day in Bangalore and his first auto ride here.Since ,it was his first day ,he preferred to take
an auto from his guest house in Domlur to Bhagmane Tech Park near CV Raman Nagar.The autowallah sensing the guy is new to the place,demanded Rs 150 which he readily agreed.On reaching the office campus,the scenario changed.the autowallah demanded Rs 300 and started abusing in his local.My colleague panicked and have to hand him Rs 300.

While Delhi autowallahs fear the police,the same is not the case in Bangalore.Everyone knows that the Bangalore police is biased.The autowalla will openly ask you to complain to the police,so you can sense that the police there for nothing.I use to travel daily to office by auto and I know about the situation here.While some of them are really honest,some others are really robbers ,just looting the passengers.Its very common the autodrivers demanding more money on reaching the destination ,specially if you are an outsider.

I visited Mumbai a couple of times,and found the autodrivers to be honest and never asked me for more fare.

All said and done, i think they need to be given a lesson or two in CRM maybe HR firms can take up this initiative.

But there is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. We rarely bargain for a piece of fashion wear in a mall. We read the tag, pay the price quietly and leave! Or for that matter dinning in a fancy rest. When it comes to people who are trying to meet their daily ends, we get into an aggressive arguments for charging us a penny extra! How sarcastic and insensitive we are, blinded by our consumeristic power.

Try listening to their struggle in life, some of them are really genuine and moving. At the end of the day if it is not their own auto they have to end up paying the owner Rs.150 as rent and they need to fill petrol for the entire day which would cost them another Rs. 250 with the going rate of petrol from OPEC countries, and then there isthe house rent, family feed, school fees etc. He doesn’t have a blue collar job where he recieves a fat pay pack at end of the month. Everyday is a struggle, just try being in his shoes, and u will understand why he fights with everyone : )