Rick in B'lore!

This blog is dedicated to all the auto-rickshaws in the city of Bangalore :-)

I was in this city recently and had the pleasure of enjoying long journeys in this three wheeled vehicle on several occasions during this visit.

It's amazing how each owner of these three wheels has the majestic pride worth that of a king! First only passengers destined to the places that interest the driver are allowed entry into the vehicle; then, the bill after 8pm is subject to the whims and fancies of the drivers! It can be anything between +20 rupees of what comes on the meter to 1.5 times that cost! Further, if the bill comes out to be 38.5 rupees, it is conveniently assumed that the rounding off to 40 is legitimate; and further the Rs. 20/- should be added making it Rs. 60. Even 1.5 times the 38.5 goes only to 57.75!

There is another interesting trait - never take the rickshaw from the rickshaw stand is a rule to be followed to perfection. The rickshaw owners in the stand apparently charge more than rickshaws that are passing by!! From a customer's viewpoint what is the use of a rickshaw stand then - the logic truly beats me!

Once in a rickshaw; never expect that the driver will follow the cheapest and shortest route. The shortest path algorithm seems to depend on a lot of factors like number of traffic signals on the way, duration of traffic signals on the way, how busy the road is and finally which time of day are you travelling! Sometimes, ongoing constructions and one-way traffic rules can become an additional factor too. But considering that most cities in India have some or the other flyover construction ongoing, and one-way traffic is a genuine way of streamlining traffic, these last 2 factors are being given a waive off in this blog! If we notice carefully, the length of the path, really does not figure as one of the factors!!!

Couple of other golden rules to follow - the temper of the rickshaw drivers in this city should never be meddled with! Never argue with the driver as a customer - the driver will not think twice before leaving you on the road with nobody to help! Never question the route he takes, although you know well that he is fooling you away to glory taking the longest path ever to the nearest destination!

In all my travels only 1% of all rickshaw drivers truly followed the shortest path algorithm and were honest about the fares they charged going strictly by the meter.

I don't know what the rules are; I haven't tried to find out what the legitimate policies are - but certainly there is ample room for improvement if service to customer is to be considered as a priority!