The autorickshaw drivers in the city got another month’s time to get their uniforms ready, which were made mandatory by the traffic police and the regional transport authority (RTA). However, wearing of badges is compulsory for every auto driver from December 1.
This decision was announced by the traffic department of the city police on Saturday after a meeting with the officials of autorickshaw federations.
An autorickshaw driver who gives free rides to the blind, donates money to an old age home and is trying to raise funds for the treatment of a sandwich vendor.
Sandeep Bachhe is an autorickshaw driver in Mumbai. More of him later, but first let me take you through his wonder autorickshaw. It has a television set tuned to good old Doordarshan — which incidentally is celebrating 50 years of transmission in India. Then there is also a board with the day’s price of gold, silver, dollar, pound and the yen.
Behind the driver’s seat hangs another chart with phone numbers of hospitals, theatres, hotels and airlines. You can also pick up the day’s papers and a couple of magazines in the rack behind him. ‘Do not spit,’ another notice admonishes you. There are pictures of Gods from all major religions. “All are welcome,” he says with a smile.
“I have been driving an autorickshaw for ten years. Whatever money I make I first give my family. The little that can spare, I give it to an old age home. During the beginning of the academic year for schools, we try and distribute notebooks to needy students.”
Indian tourism authorities will be holding English classes for auto-rickshaw drivers in New Delhi as the city prepares to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
More than 40,000 natural gas-fueled auto-rickshaws, or motorized three-wheeled taxis, run on the Indian capital’s dilapidated roads, according to the city government statistics.
The city is expected to host around 100,000 tourists during the Commonwealth Games scheduled from October 3-14 in 2010. About 9,000 athletes and officials of 52 Commonwealth countries are likely to participate.
Some 8,000 auto-rickshaw drivers will be enrolled in the training program that will involve classes in yoga, life skills, first aid, spoken English and psychometric tests, federal Tourism Secretary Sujit Banerjee announced Tuesday.
Auto-rickshaw drivers in Chennai have a history of overcharging and behave like rash and hard, using rigged meters, and exploting foreign passengers, although they are ubiquitous and possibly the easiest form of transportation to locate. Use only for short distances (if you know exactly how far you are going). Before talking to auto person ask any local person what the actual fare should be, because if you don’t know, they might ask for up to 3 times more.
If you want to travel by the auto, stick to these rules:
• Don’t go by the meter (if they have one) – the meter is rigged to show a higher fare
• Negotiate a rate with the driver beforehand. Try to stick to the agreed price, though the driver may attempt to ask for more.
• Consult local friends beforehand to find out reasonable market prices for the distance you intend to go.
• Try to hail individual auto rickshaws in traffic which are heading in the general direction of your destination and avoid those parked in groups as they may try to gang-up on you.
On a side note – if you are fascinated by the idea of going around in an auto, think about all those foreigners, who are riding an auto from Chennai to Mumbai. A Chennai based event management company, Chennai Event Management Services, has been having these autorickshaw rallies from Chennai to Mumbai, or Kanyakumari, etc., and has developed a great fan following for the same…YES that’s us!
Last year, Enviu, the innovators in sustainability based in Rotterdam (NL), launched the Hybrid Tuktuk Battle. The challenge was to design a system to make one million auto-rickshaws in India and other developing countries hybrid, in order to improve the living conditions of millions of drivers and their families, and drastically reduce the CO2 emissions. This month the grand prize went to the HAN’ds On Eco Tuk, a Tuktuk with LPG direct injection designed by the students of Hogeschool Arnhem and Nijmegen (HAN).
The past twelve months 7 battle teams from the Netherlands and India have made a huge effort in developing their prototypes and business plans for making polluting auto-rickshaws, or Tuktuks, cleaner and more efficient. Last weekend the final competition took place in Chennai, India. The winner was chosen based on emission testing, fuel consumption races and a business plan for implementation of the system in India. The winning system saves up to 26% of energy and 53% on fuel costs compared to a regular petrol Tuktuk, and only costs around $200.
DHL India employees go wild with a special custom autorickshaw adventure!
Mumbai, India. February 15, 2009 – The India branch of DHL Global Forwarding just treated its employees to an unforgettable a day of team-building challenges that involved driving and racing autorickshaws – motorized, three-wheeled vehicles that are an iconic symbol of the Indian subcontinent.
The day started early with driving lessons from professional autorickshaw drivers – real experts always make the best teachers! Participants came from all around Europe and South Asia Pacific for this event. Most had never even seen an autorickshaw before, and nobody had ever driven one.
Endurance challenges were offered first to get everybody warmed up. After a great game of autorickshaw tag, things really started to heat up! A special “slow race” really challenged everyone’s driving skills and brought laughs and cheers from all teams.
The final challenge was an extraordinary autorickshaw ballet, in which teams danced around the arena in three clusters of five vehicles each. This unusual spectacle was definitely the highlight of the day.
At the end of the event, prizes were given for the top-scoring teams. Everyone had a fantastic time, and the participants agreed the event was one of the most unique experiences they had ever had.
CEMS is responsible for organizing events like the annual Rickshaw Challenges in India and the Bus Number 7 rally that goes from Central Europe to Africa. This custom DHL team-building day represents a unique CEMS service that lets clients dream up their own autorickshaw-related events.
Autorickshaw driver AMAL is content with the small but vital role he serves – driving customers around New Delhi as quickly and safely as possible. But his sense of duty is tested by an eccentric, aging billionaire, who, moved by Amal’s humility, bequeaths him his entire estate before passing away.
Now, with only one month to track down and claim his new fortune, Amal encounters roadblocks by all those around him. Be it an injured street girl, a shrewd store merchant or the dead man’s own friends and family, Amal will have to content with many greedy hands before he can claim the fortune and begin a new life.
A Priest dies & is awaiting his turn in line at the Heaven’s Gates.
Ahead of him is a guy, fashionably dressed, in dark sun glasses, a
loud shirt, leather jacket & jeans.
God asks him: Please tell me who are you, so that I may know whether
to admit you into the kingdom of Heaven or not?
The guy replies: I am Pandi, Auto driver from Chennai!
God consults his ledger, smiles & says to Pandi: Please take this
silken robe & gold scarf & enter the Kingdom of Heaven …
Now it is the priest’s turn. He stands erect and speaks out in a
booming voice: I am Pope’s Assistant so & so, Head Priest of the so &
so Church for the last 40 years.
God consults his ledger & says to the Priest: Please take this cotton
robe & enter the Kingdom of Heaven …
‘Just a minute,’ says the agonized Priest. ‘How is it that a foul
mouthed, rash driving Auto Driver is given a Silken robe & a Golden
scarf and me, a Priest, who’s spent his whole life preaching your Name
& goodness has to make do with a Cotton robe?’
‘Results my friend, results,’ shrugs God.
‘While you preached, people SLEPT; but when he drove his Auto, people PRAYED’
“It’s PERFORMANCE & not POSITION that ultimately counts.”
The autorickshaw drivers in the city got another month’s time to get their uniforms ready, which were made mandatory by the traffic police and the regional transport authority (RTA). However, wearing of badges is compulsory for every auto driver from December 1.
