These Chennai auto drivers! They are taking us for a ride literally! In our Mumbai city they charge only the meter fare and return even a one-rupee change promptly.”
The above mentioned dialogue never varies whenever my sister-in-law visits Chennai.
I cannot talk back, not because she is my sister-in-law but what she says is a fact. I really wonder whether the auto drivers consider the meters as an ornament of decoration for the autos or a drishti doll to ward off evil eyes. During my childhood, autos were rare but now meters are! Whatever regulations the government brings, negotiations always fix the rate and not meters.
The art of negotiation is set in Chennai auto-goers’ brain by default. It will put the negotiating bureaucrats between India and Pakistan regarding the K issue to shame. The auto driver will ask for an exorbitant amount without flinching. You have to match it by quoting an amount slightly higher than the meter fare but very much less than the actual demand. Sometimes he may accept or you have to repeat the drill right from the beginning with another two or more auto drivers. It all depends on the demand and supply curve. If it rains or if you are late to office you lose the power of bargaining.
It always stays that way.
Once I got into an auto after much altercation. He was demanding more than the usual fare and I was ready to pay in between the meter rate and the amount demanded by him. Throughout the ride he was grumbling, “You people are working in a government concern and everyday you get more than I earn (you know what he means), why can’t you share something with a poor auto driver?” I got the essence of his furious mumbling. I tried to put into his head that I work in a public sector undertaking and we don’t accept bribes. He never bought it anyway and dropped me at my office with a punch line—YOU PEOPLE ARE VERY GREEDY.
Some weeks back the nation was boasting the success of Mangalyaan.
But what I liked about that was it took only Rs 7 per kilometre for Mangalyaan to reach Mars. While getting into an auto I wanted the driver to know this fact.
Mistaking my genuine information sharing as sarcasm, he replied acidly that he was not driving any Mangalyaan and did not have the slightest intention of going to Mars. I should have kept quiet and proceeded for another auto. But in spite of his stinging reply, I asked his rate for a particular area. He demanded Rs 60. Now this was my turn to become furious. I asked him, “Previously you were demanding only Rs 40 for the same distance. What happened now?” Without batting an eyelid, the driver replied “But older rates prevailed at that time, madam. Now the government has increased the basic rates. We have to obey the government rules you know! So we have also increased our rates.” Without even opening my mouth, I got into the auto.