Autowala’s Menace

'Beware of the Autowallas'

        Recently I read news which was making a buzz in social media which was about the auto raid, conducted in Bangalore by 700 cops in plain clothes which resulted in fine of over 3000 auto drivers and seizure of 400 autos. Since I have been their victim too, I also felt glad. I extend my support and appreciation for this initiative which should also be replicated by other cities too especially Delhi and Hyderabad. I have had my share of pain whenever I had to catch an auto. Not all experiences were bad but most of them were. I have first-hand experience of this auto menace in different cities which I want to share with you all. Let me share my experience with autowallas city by city.

The Rude ones at Delhi

The autowallas here are the rudest among other cities of this country. If you want to experience it you just need to start bargaining. ‘Customer is King’ do not applies here with auto drivers here they are king and you are at the mercy of them. At nights you are at more pathetic situation. Whether you are Rich or poor, they do not hesitate in looting passengers by overcharging. There are many incidents where they have robbed the passengers and killed them too. If you are fortunate here you might find some good ones too who charge by meters and are well behaved. From what I have experienced so far I will rate them 4 in the scale of 10.

The greedy ones at hyderabad

Well-spoken with Hyderabadi accent, only one thing that wasn’t good about them is their greed (overcharging). They will compete with other autowalas to take you to your destination. There was hardly any driver who refused to go. During my five days stay I was only once charged by meter, most of the time we had to settle the price before hiring. That’s the thing which made my ‘Hyderabadi Biryani’ little bitter, only little.

 The Worst one at Banglore

 This was the most disturbing thing about Banglore. These are the lot I hate most ‘The Bangalorian Autowallas’. Though they are not rude like Delhi’s, but they are the most exorbitant priced, especially when you are hindi-speaking. When I got there I was impressed by their English speaking capability (that’s where I can’t stop being Indian) but little I knew about their ruthlessness. I could not find a single auto driver who will charge me by meter. It was always one and half or more. Once my friends and I ended up giving 500 Rupees to the auto driver and that too in the morning (not night). That’s why the news about auto raid was so gratifying to me.

The best ones at Mumbai

I always wonder why people in Mumbai complain about their autowallas. They should visit Bangalore then they will know how ruthless auto drivers can be. If compared to the autowallas of other metro cities, they are the best ones I have seen.  The thing which impressed me was not only charging by meter but returning every single Rupee which remains with them. First time when I hired an autorikshaw, the meter said 23.45 Rs I gave him 30 Rs and I wasn’t even expecting return of 5 Rs but quite surprised to get 7 Rs in return. I was never overcharged there.

    These are my personal views and experiences, you might have experienced differently. The Bangalore auto raid might not guarantee the complete solution but it will better the situation for sure. These things affect the common man most that is why they should be addressed on priority basis so that we head ‘Towards a better tomorrow’ for everyone.