Auto rickshaw is the most common transportation in Bangalore. It is kinda like the taxi of India. You can hire one by raising your hand on street corners or find a richshaw stop in front of shopping malls. The auto richshaw drives like a motorcycle, except it has two wheels and a passenager cabinet at the back. They runs on small 2 stroke engine, making the tuc- tuc noise. That’s why auto rickshaw is also called tuctucs. The auto rickshaw has no door nor windows. The engine probably runs on dirty gas, so you can smell the exhaust when you riding on it. I guess the auto rickshaw is not very eco-friendly.
On my first week in Banaglore, I tried to avoid taking the auto rickshaw. It seems not very safe and kinda shabby. However there is no restaurant serves real food around the guest house. So, I overcome my reluctance and start taking auto rickshaw this week. After the work, the company driver just drop me off at the restaurant of the night, then I ride the auto rickshaw back to the guest house after dinner.
All auto rickshaw comes with a fare meter but it is rarely use. Usually you negotiate the price before hopping into it. It costs about CAD$2.5 for a 20 minutes ride from downtown Bangalore back to the guest house. The rickshaw driver probably over charged me by almost doubling the fare. Do I really care? Probably not, I don’t really want to bargain on the street for merely $1. I rather pay the premium and let the driver take me to my destination with no fuss.
wow, the auto rickshaw is cute, and the building of the back is nice too.
They look like the ones in Philippines too… 🙂 similar not the same.
I bargain 😛 I did that in Italy. I needed to take a taxi to the train station. The hotel concierge told me the ride would be about 7 euros. It ended up about 7.50 euros and the taxi driver wanted 10 euros from me saying there’s a surcharge. He said it in Italian and somehow I understood him. And I argued with him that I’m going to pay only 7.50 as said on the meter, no surcharge. I had never heard of it. Of course, I argued in English. It’s 100% “chicken speaking to ducks”. And we somehow understood each other. I ended up paying him 7.50 euros.
Funny thing was that on my way back, the only taxi at the train station was that very same guy. I had no choice but to take it. He didn’t ask me for the surcharge that time.
It’s not so much about the 2.5 euros, but the principle… the “air”.
the building at the bad is the governor’s house. left over from British days.
Bargaining係女人強項，尢其置身於外國雞同鴨講嘅國家，我最唔鐘意俾人呃兼禁住搶，明碼實價最後都要坐地起價，個啖氣確實幾難頂，Michael估唔到你都係我同道中人 ：）
Are you saying Michael is 女人 too?
No ar, I just said he is same type of me in terms of bargaining. He is definitely a very nice traditional gentleman as I know.