Here in Mumbai, we are all too familiar with the colors black and yellow.
And the ruckus raised by vehicles donning these colors, their infamous drivers and unions keeps making it to the headlines at regular intervals. I am one of the many citizens of Mumbai who have taken an acute dislike for these occurrences. Mind you, I wasn’t always this way.
As a kid who was ferried to and from school in an auto rickshaw, I wasn’t conditioned to despise them.But as I grew up to start traveling around the city by myself, I realized that successfully getting into an auto/taxi to anywhere could be a whole new ball game. The power dynamics at play blew my mind. No prizes for guessing though – I didn’t stay amused for long.
Every time I get refused, I have this urge to give them a high five –in the face, with a brick. But wouldn’t that be inhuman bordering on illegal? Every time I consider doing it or get frustrated, I also wonder why I waste my time getting all worked up. For all I know, they do not give a damn and just go about their day rather merrily. It might also fill them with a false sense of pride – you know, to wholly be in control of where they go whenever they choose to and to not give two hoots about what happens with your life post the refusal.
That’s not to say all the cabbies or auto riders are errant. Let’s say it’s roughly 70% of them (Am I being too lenient? Let me know).
There are two things the black and yellows can really do to successfully compete with private cabbies –
- Acknowledge the existence of the word ‘yes’:
Say yes for a change. The very reduction in the number of passengers being refused could divert half of the uber/ola faithful to the black and yellows.
- Rent better cabs:
Who wouldn’t fancy going around in a Hyundai i10 as opposed to a worn out Premier Padmini?
vs. 
Better cars = Happier Customers = More Customers = More Income = Happier Cabbies
Hiring a cab is an event that can unfold in a number of ways..
Around the world, refusals aren’t the norm. You would never come across a taxi driver refusing customers saying, “Arey lekin mujhe idhar nahin, udhar jaana hai” or “Abhi gas bharne jaana hai” while in Tokyo or New York. It’s pretty routine that way – Passenger arrives > opens door > gets into taxi > tells the driver where he wants to go > off to destination.
The routine in Mumbai is rarely, if ever, the same. It could be like any of the following depending on a person’s luck/ astrological chart / destiny / determination/ persistence:
Case I:
Passenger arrives > opens door > gets into taxi > tells the driver where he wants to go > off to destination.
This event is as rare as an elephant in Antarctica (and is often considered hypothetical).
Case II:
Passenger arrives > opens door > gets into taxi > tells the driver where he wants to go > driver refuses > passenger requests > driver refuses > passenger requests > driver refuses > passenger begs > driver agrees > off to destination
Case III:
Passenger approaches taxi > Tells the driver where he wants to go > Driver looks the other way and drives off without a response> Passenger feels like an idiot
Case IV:
Passenger approaches taxi >Tells the driver where he wants to go > Driver refuses > Passenger threatens to take the driver to a police station for refusing>Driver doesn’t say a word > off to destination
Case V:
Passenger approaches taxi > Tells the driver where he wants to go > Driver refuses > Passenger leaves fuming > Somehow finds another cab > Lodges a complaint about the driver on RTO’s website> Hopes and prays the driver is punished or at least warned > Never gets any response with regard to the complaint > Same old miserable feeling!
No wonder every Mumbaikar has learned to make-do with the situation.
Inconveniencing thousands of Mumbaikars and subjecting passengers to hostile treatment will never do these guys any favors. Ola and Uber will do better than usual every time they stay off roads – Protesting against a service only to increase its demand is the epitome of irony!
When will they learn? Sooner than later I hope.
The Telltale Journal 