Dânesh Zaki

Until last week, I thought that the auto drivers in Chennai were the worst in the country. But my experience with the auto drivers in Bangalore made me think again. I was attending a training in Domlur and staying at Infantry Road. It had become a challenge everyday, to get an auto from Domlur to Infantry Road. The auto drivers would flatly refuse. No X Rupess more than the meter fare, no bargaining, nothing. They would say no and speed off or look the other way. And this for a place in the very heart of the city, a stone’s throw from the very happening MG Road. Very curt. I had to always walk some distance into a really busy main road to ultimately get an auto. In Chennai, most of the auto drivers would take you to your destination for a price (exorbitant or otherwise).

However, one nice thing about the Bangalore auto drivers was that those who agreed to take me were pretty decent. For the first time, I saw a digital auto meter in action! There were no demands for more than the meter fare nor were there any bargains. If not for these traits, they would be worse than their Chennai counterparts.