Come to think of it, I have always hated travelling by share autos. Right from my college days when the share autos started becoming popular, it was never my preferred mode of transport since it meant sitting squeezed next to strangers. Later on, with the introduction of those white Tata Magic share autos, there was a lot more space, the vehicles themselves were in a much better condition and the rides were much more better. The few times I travelled so far were only during off-peak hours.
The last week saw me taking these share autos from Vani Mahal to T. Nagar bus stand at 6 in the evening. With autos coming every two minutes and charging only Rs. 10 for the travel, this is a great commuting option for shopping in T. Nagar without parking woes.
However, the problem arises only when 10th person wants to board the share auto. This is when everyone in the middle compartment which can accommodate only 6 persons has to move and get crushed and give space to that person. The situation further worsened during yesterday’s ride when eleventh person wanted to board the auto too!!!
I was the lone soul asking the tenth and eleventh persons why they wanted to board the share auto when it was already full and why they couldn’t wait for another two-three minutes more to board the next auto. Neither the passengers nor the driver opened their mouth leaving me wondering whom I was talking to.
I, for one, am done with travelling by share autos during peak hours.