Cab Drivers
My cab ride on Independence Day was quite interesting. The cab driver made the first connect when he praised my angry young one by saying she is very intelligent. He got more brownie points when he said that girls are intelligent. His daughter in in the seventh grade in the village and scored 75%. Now I was totally game for all that he had to share.
He explained to me that there are three types of cab drivers in Mumbai. The first category owns a house in Mumbai or its distant suburbs. He will never drive anyone else's cab. He owns a cab, drives short distances, doesn't take the pot holed roads and is very concerned about no damage coming to the cab. He has bought a Santro cab on loan, paid Rs.40,000 and pays an EMI of Rs.6000. The annual maintenance of the cab costs him around Rs 6000. He doesn't make much money but is proud to own his vehicle and does business of Rs.20000-22000 per month. He has his family commitments which are more important.
The second category is from Maharashtra, Karnataka n Goa. They do not own cabs, they work for the person who owns a cab. They have to pay this owner who is also a cab permit holder Rs.400 per day. They work for two months and go home to the village for a month. They own agricultural land in the village and the family lives there. They need to go back to take care of those responsibilities. They work very hard in two months and make a lot of money. They are very networked and get a new cab to drive on every trip to Mumbai. These cab drivers also take trips to Pune and Lonavala on weekends. On these trips, the food is paid for and they make Rs500-1000. These guys eat well, eat fruits, know which area you get cheap food and speciality of each area. They drive cabs for long hours and are well versed with Mumbai lanes, traffic patterns and shortcuts. They also know what kind of customers can they pick from which area. He is like a savvy businessman.
The third category is the North Indian one which is not liked by the top two categories. The drivers are from UP Bihar. For the people in the western India, the whole of North India is "UP Bihar", both states said without a breath in between. These work for six months to nine months in Mumbai and then go home. They are hardworking and simple.They live without their families and do not know Mumbai that well as most are young with few years experience.
The cab drivers do not like to do personal driving as they make more money otherwise. Some drivers who have become lazy take an office driving job. They sleep in the car most hours. After office duty, they drive cabs till midnight. A private duty for the cab driver who is a local entails a lot of loans to be given by the employers. The driver keeps getting interest free loan and the Malik is happy that the driver will continue to work for years. Without loans, the personal driver who is Mumbai based, will not last.
With this huge knowledge of the world of drivers, I rushed home. In a fifteen minute ride, this was a lot accomplished. After listening to my new found information, the husband calmly asked me one question, "But What about the airport cabbies?" I had no answers. The airport cab drivers are a totally unfathomable breed. They wait in long queues for their chance to fleece the passenger. They overcharge and are very rowdy. They hike the rates when it is raining or there is a local train strike. On one such engine drivers strike, I was caught unawares. I walked from Tardeo to Phoenix Mills at Tulsi Pipe road, before a kind cab driver offered me a front seat of the already crowded cab for Rs. 100. I was dropped at the lane outside my house. The young strangers in the cab were asking him why he was overcharging on the day people were stranded. I added my two bit by telling him that the money he makes today will go waste or in a useless expense. But I reached home safe and 'untired' after that long walk and am forever grateful for that ride.
He explained to me that there are three types of cab drivers in Mumbai. The first category owns a house in Mumbai or its distant suburbs. He will never drive anyone else's cab. He owns a cab, drives short distances, doesn't take the pot holed roads and is very concerned about no damage coming to the cab. He has bought a Santro cab on loan, paid Rs.40,000 and pays an EMI of Rs.6000. The annual maintenance of the cab costs him around Rs 6000. He doesn't make much money but is proud to own his vehicle and does business of Rs.20000-22000 per month. He has his family commitments which are more important.
The second category is from Maharashtra, Karnataka n Goa. They do not own cabs, they work for the person who owns a cab. They have to pay this owner who is also a cab permit holder Rs.400 per day. They work for two months and go home to the village for a month. They own agricultural land in the village and the family lives there. They need to go back to take care of those responsibilities. They work very hard in two months and make a lot of money. They are very networked and get a new cab to drive on every trip to Mumbai. These cab drivers also take trips to Pune and Lonavala on weekends. On these trips, the food is paid for and they make Rs500-1000. These guys eat well, eat fruits, know which area you get cheap food and speciality of each area. They drive cabs for long hours and are well versed with Mumbai lanes, traffic patterns and shortcuts. They also know what kind of customers can they pick from which area. He is like a savvy businessman.
The third category is the North Indian one which is not liked by the top two categories. The drivers are from UP Bihar. For the people in the western India, the whole of North India is "UP Bihar", both states said without a breath in between. These work for six months to nine months in Mumbai and then go home. They are hardworking and simple.They live without their families and do not know Mumbai that well as most are young with few years experience.
The cab drivers do not like to do personal driving as they make more money otherwise. Some drivers who have become lazy take an office driving job. They sleep in the car most hours. After office duty, they drive cabs till midnight. A private duty for the cab driver who is a local entails a lot of loans to be given by the employers. The driver keeps getting interest free loan and the Malik is happy that the driver will continue to work for years. Without loans, the personal driver who is Mumbai based, will not last.
With this huge knowledge of the world of drivers, I rushed home. In a fifteen minute ride, this was a lot accomplished. After listening to my new found information, the husband calmly asked me one question, "But What about the airport cabbies?" I had no answers. The airport cab drivers are a totally unfathomable breed. They wait in long queues for their chance to fleece the passenger. They overcharge and are very rowdy. They hike the rates when it is raining or there is a local train strike. On one such engine drivers strike, I was caught unawares. I walked from Tardeo to Phoenix Mills at Tulsi Pipe road, before a kind cab driver offered me a front seat of the already crowded cab for Rs. 100. I was dropped at the lane outside my house. The young strangers in the cab were asking him why he was overcharging on the day people were stranded. I added my two bit by telling him that the money he makes today will go waste or in a useless expense. But I reached home safe and 'untired' after that long walk and am forever grateful for that ride.
Comments
Post a Comment