Of arrogant auto drivers and helpless passengers in Hyderabad

One of the most common sights you are likely to witness in Hyderabad is an auto. A visitor to Hyderabad who assumes commuting in Hyderabad is a cake walk due to the presence of so many autos soon changes his mind as reality is bitter.

Women, school and college students are the main victims of the adamant behavior of auto drivers, as they demand more than necessary for a short distance and not ready to use the meter. If anyone asks them to go with the meter fare, they simply reject and move from the place without even giving an answer.

Auto drivers spend much of their time by chit chatting with other auto drivers, smoking and spitting Pan and Gutka, watching videos in their mobile or playing cards and gambling. If any passenger asks them for a trip, they ask so many questions regarding number of passengers, distance and return trip etc., then they simply reject and say that for such a such place they won’t get any passenger and in return they have to come alone. If at all they are ready to go, then in that case the fare is double for that distance. And after much argument they ask the passenger to catch any other auto and not willing to go at any cost.

Hyderabadis don’t have any other option, especially women, college and school students; they have to take the autos and pay, whatever is demanded. During school and college starting and closing hours their demands are at peak.

Hyderabadis are mostly party animals, without attending parties, especially marriage ceremonies a Hyderabadi cannot live. It is a general custom of Muslims that the groom comes late at function hall with Band Baaja and the ceremony starts normally at 10 or 11 o clock. When people find several autos lined up before a function hall, they are thrilled. Little do they realise that the demands are huge.

For a short distance the fare starts with Rs. 200 to 250 which at day time one can easily go by paying Rs. 40 or 50 and to a far off place they ask Rs. 500 to 600. At the wee hours one cannot find any other transportation to reach one’s home, the auto drivers know the fact and encash this opportunity by increasing the fares.

Negligence driving is another common habit of auto drivers; they don’t care about big or small vehicles coming along or in opposite direction. The are often seen quarreling with bike riders who overtake an auto and happen to be the victim of reckless driving of auto drivers. Signal breaking, overtaking and parking autos in a wrong way, especially taking a quick U turn is the worst habit of auto drivers, which cause fatal and major accidents.

Consuming alcohol and other cheap liquors is common practice of auto drivers, which makes their family live in worst conditions. There are several complaints from the families that even though auto drivers are earning Rs 1000-1500 in a day, they spend their income on themselves and refuse to give it to their families.

If a passenger unfortunately forgets his/her belongings in the auto, it is gone forever, while for auto drivers finding any item big or small, costly or cheap is a gift for their lavish expenses. Sometimes a passenger forgets things which actually have no worth for the auto drivers but it is valuable for passengers. Yet the auto driver instead of returning to the passenger thrashes it.

However, we do hear of a few who returned valuables to the passenger or shifted a pregnant woman to a hospital free of cost. This is a rare case in the present case.

On the other hand, the traffic police who are supposed to help the women and children, instead take bribe from the auto drivers and let them go. Ninety per cent of the auto drivers in Hyderabad are taking fares by high handedness and not by meter fare. It is an open secret which is known to everyone, but the traffic police doesn't bother do anything for the people of Hyderabad to squeeze the auto drivers to make them charge as per the meter fare.

So many working women and house wives though don’t like to ride themselves in this traffic are forced to ride to avoid the inconvenience of waiting for an auto or shell out huge amounts for a short distance to auto drivers. Although the number of autos on the roads are on the rise, the demand has gone down thanks to their arrogant behaviour. If they don’t change themselves, soon they’ll have to run for a single passenger and unable to gain even two hundred rupees for driving the entire day in Hyderabad.

By Mohammad Akbar Ali Khan