I wanted to name this post "The C-men". Seems a bit more embarrassing than the content itself. So I stick to "The C-factor".
I have been traveling a lot lately. Business and personal. Mostly by air. The airport is about 50 km from my apartment. I am someone who would rather opt for public transport than a personal car or even private cabs for that matter. But circumstances of my travel often dictate my preference. I end up choosing private cabs. The title C-Factor is nothing but the "Cab" factor that I noticed - rather witnessed while being a victim of devilish rides - all through my riding experiences irrespective of the time and place of travel.
The cab drivers in general and particularly in Bangalore are overworked. At times, they work three days straight taking only naps in between assignments. As it seems they clearly work towards becoming millionaires at the earliest come what may - life or death. None of the cab companies that recruit them mind that. Why would they? They make themselves billionaires. Adding insult to injury, the cab companies indeed support drivers.
I was on a terrific ride from my apartment to the airport one fine morning in one of those reckless cabs. The driver was on his mobile phone from the moment he picked me up. After about ten minutes, I asked the driver to put the phone down and concentrate on driving. He was reluctant as he told me that he gets sleep if he doesn't talk over phone. An excuse I rejected straight away as non sense. Not for a longtime. After about 10 minutes, the cab was slowing down while moving away from the lane on a flyover in which other cars were over 100 kph. This happened twice before I noticed the terrible thing that I would have never imagined even in my wildest of dreams. The driver was falling asleep while driving. I had to keep the driver awake while looking to avoid possible collisions. My ride was a nightmare that morning. I later found that drivers talk to other fellow drivers in order to keep themselves and the other driver awake. Indeed a team work of destruction. It resembles the story of frogs that pull other frogs down from jumping out of well. I die. You die. We die.
The cab drivers in general and particularly in Bangalore are overworked. At times, they work three days straight taking only naps in between assignments. As it seems they clearly work towards becoming millionaires at the earliest come what may - life or death. None of the cab companies that recruit them mind that. Why would they? They make themselves billionaires. Adding insult to injury, the cab companies indeed support drivers.
I was on a terrific ride from my apartment to the airport one fine morning in one of those reckless cabs. The driver was on his mobile phone from the moment he picked me up. After about ten minutes, I asked the driver to put the phone down and concentrate on driving. He was reluctant as he told me that he gets sleep if he doesn't talk over phone. An excuse I rejected straight away as non sense. Not for a longtime. After about 10 minutes, the cab was slowing down while moving away from the lane on a flyover in which other cars were over 100 kph. This happened twice before I noticed the terrible thing that I would have never imagined even in my wildest of dreams. The driver was falling asleep while driving. I had to keep the driver awake while looking to avoid possible collisions. My ride was a nightmare that morning. I later found that drivers talk to other fellow drivers in order to keep themselves and the other driver awake. Indeed a team work of destruction. It resembles the story of frogs that pull other frogs down from jumping out of well. I die. You die. We die.
After this incident, there is an irresistible urge in me to notice drivers on my rides. And it happened every time I travelled by cabs. No matter what, the drivers sleep while sitting behind the wheel. I travelled at all times during the day after that incident. I found drivers no different - all morons - no matter what time of the day, no matter where. All nightmares I am trying to forget. I pay them for the ride but end up being a humanoid google map that keeps them awake, aware of directions, and away from possible accidents.
I am going back to basics. Choose flights at appropriate times. Use public transportation. Keep an eye on drivers while traveling in cabs. I started asking them for three things before I hire: no mobile phones, no rash driving, and no naps during the journey. I only have control over my driver. But who is keeping an eye on other drivers who drive alongside my cab?
I would rather be a passenger in a car than a TomTom.
4 comments:
Hi Arun, I have heard a lot about these cabs as well. My brother told me a strange story where the driver collided with the central road dividing stone because he was on the phone. The car overturned from the collusion. He and his friends got out of the car turned it upright and started their journey again. To their surprise the driver started talking over the phone again. Since it was a company hired car, they got out of the car called the company and refused to travel in it.
In my case I have established a long relationship with the cab company that I have come to trust. Rather a person in a cab company I have come to trust. Unless there is trust even if its trifling of service its never worth it. We rely on google too much and the reviews are all together unreliable. Unless you come to trust a service personally sans IT even if its a cab, its not worth your time.
I've had similar exp, when I travelled from my apartment to Tiruvanamalai for a Karthigai deepam festival just b4 my wedding. The driver was praying god for every Lorry or heavy vehicle that passed by :O!!
When we travel by night, mostly we sleep laying all trust on the driver. If we travel by group, one person should be awake with the driver and help him get some hot tea then and there if he feels sleepy. I've also seen drivers who would sleep if the silence in the cab isn't broken. we usually switch on radio and play loud to break the silence while travelling. :)).
Hi Arun,
I shared this article with my brother and he said he also had a similar experience recently
I think we should boycott the cabs, make it a No-Cab kolaveri, so that the cab owners and drivers learn their lessons
Kumar
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