There used to be a time when travelling in autorickshaws used to be a hassle free affair. Just go down to street corner, and you would find a dozen autos vying for your attention. Not any more. Nowadays the auto wallahs display one of the following five traits:
They’d be chatting in a group of four or five, and you would literally have to beg them to take you as a passenger.
The auto driver would be dozing quietly on the passenger seat and wount reply to you.
The autos would be standing there but with no autodriver in sight
The auto driver would be chewing pan or smoking a bidi, and would say that he has to go in the opposite direction so he wont take you.
If at all you find an auto thats willing to take you, the charges would be exorbitant, compounded with an obstinate refusal to go by the meter!
I think the following tips(which I am sharing out of my own experience) would be of help while planning to travel in an auto.
Share autos - Almost all large cities have share autos plying between key destinations. They are quite economic, fast and hassle free. Just hop onto one and alight at the next stop.
If you regularly need an auto, it makes sense to fix an auto driver on a monthly rent.
I have observed that those autos which are already plying on the road are more willing to take a new customer for a fair price than those autos which are standing leisurely at an auto stand.
If it is not a share auto, you are perfectly entitled to ask the driver not to carry any other person / passenger inside the auto.
Always talk clearly about the fare. Make sure there is no ambiguity to avoid hassles and harassment later.
Pre paid autos - If you are at the bus stand or the railway station and need to take an auto to the city, always go for pre paid autos. You’ll be spared a lot of trouble.
I hope you find the tips practial and useful