All Talk and No Action

This is one of the outcomes of the Meter Jam campaign.

While you rub your eyes, I will go and have the last laugh. 

I look forward to jamming meters on the 12th.

The way Mumbai auto and taxi drivers treat commuters is extremely irritating - refusal to accept fares, improper functioning of meters, et al.

In fact, I have been involved in several run ins myself, and the only way to beat them at their game of cheating is to threaten with a police complaint (if you are lucky to have a station nearby).

Recently, my house maid came down with malaria and had to be admitted to a hospital.

It amazed us when the taxi driver refused to take us within the hospital campus. He thought driving all the way was not a good idea and was perfectly fine with a Malaria infected, drowsy, sickly female walking all the way (~500 metres) in the rain.

I am not sure how successful this campaign will be, or, if there will be even a minuscule dent in the Union's earnings.

Yet, it's high time we made our annoyance clear.

*****

My friends in Delhi and Bengaluru ask me to thank my stars. They have been in fist fights with auto drivers and feel Mumbaikars have it easy.

Yes, I am glad we have a meter system and some semblance of sanity as far as public transportation is concerned.

Yet, that does not confer rights on auto and cab drivers to ill-treat us.

As far as I know, like doctors, these drivers have their own version of a Hippocratic Oath which they need to be reminded about.

You can find more info here.