Getting from A to B in India presents it's own challenges! the transport you'll find yourself using is as varied as it is bizarre.
From Dilapidated old buses that look like they've been in use every day for the last hundred years to to auto rickshaws that come in all shapes and sizes.
One thing is for sure, though it may be at times tiring as you navigate the busy highways, or even busier city streets it's a lot of fun and all you adrenaline freaks will love it.
The cycle rickshaws, to be found in many of India's cities, the ubiquitous auto rickshaw, the camel carts of Rajasthan, motor bike taxis in Goa, hand carts in Mt Abu and the roaring beasts known as Tempos. These are just some of the sights you'll see and perhaps use along the way.
Hold onto your seats the ride can sometimes get bumpy!
Below I give you a description of some of the more common modes of transport you can expect to encounter whilst in India and a few snaps to capture the imagination!!
Auto Rickshaw
These little three wheeled marvels are the transport lifeline of every city, town and village in India.
Whether it's taking the kids to school or the chickens to market you'll these rickshaws doing their thing all over India!!
Driven by possessed "rickshaw wallahs' these things can get through gaps in the traffic where you're sure there wasn't a gap and in the busy Indian streets are often the only viable way of getting from A to B in a reasonable time.
They come in all shapes and sizes from the three passenger version you see above to much bigger models that seat 6 or more these are known as Tempos in some places and are the cheapest way to get around a town or city as you share the cost with other passengers but beware some drivers are convinced they are driving a bus and will pack the passengers in accordingly!!
As romantic as these little gems of India are, the rickshaw wallahs are a different proposition, some where down the line you'll be faced with a driver who is sure he was put on this Earth solely for the purpose of fleecing tourists! Many quoting ridiculous fares to the unsuspecting tourist!!
So what should you pay and how do you assure that you get to your destination without a detour to every crafts shop in town!!
Well a basic rule of thumb is this. There is a cover charge as anywhere else when you take a taxi this is usually between 10-20 Rps thereafter its between 5 and 8 Rps per kilometer. If the rickshaw wallah is having a hard day these charges may not be applied and you might travel a bit cheaper but as a western tourist expect these charges to go up by at least 50% or more!!
There's not really a lot you can do about this except politely shake your head and wait for the next one to come along
At train stations, airports and other selected areas of the town, city you can avail yourself of the rickshaw union office where prices are written on a board to various destinations this offers the fairest price arrangement for the tourist, look around outside the station you'll find the little union kiosk somewhere!!
Having arranged a price the next obstacle is to get the driver where you want to go instead of going with some of his many ideas to make a bit of commission!
"you go brothers craft shop sir? Very cheap"
Be polite but firm and let it be known that any shenanigans and his fare stays firmly in your pocket. Most drivers will only try it on once if you make it clear you are the boss!!
Of course not all drivers are dishonest and sometime arranging a fare can be a breeze and the rickshaw gets you there without any tangent but we can't honestly say that's the norm
Buses
When there ain't a suitable train it's time to take a deep breath and board a bus. A truly Indian experience as the thing takes off (and we use the term wisely!!)
Indian buses seem to have only two speeds idle and flat out and any waste of time getting between the two is seen as time wasting by the bus driver. Sleeping is nigh on impossible as you're shaken and bumped to the accompanying crescendo of the roaring engine.
Having said that buses open another door on Indian life as you slow down to avoid the cows and bicycles crowding colorful villages of India and a stop at a bus station en route offers some amazing photo opportunities as well as the chance to delve into Indian snack cuisine which is excellent,
These days the buses are getting better and on the main tourist routes you may well find yourself on a new AC, air sprung, bus but away from these routes, expect a old wrecker that has had it's finest hour!!!
Booking a bus ticket is a bit of a hit and miss affair mainly because you are in the main forced to deal with middle men or travel agents, so the bus you thought you booked I.e. the nice one on the picture at the travel agent (it may have looked like this 20 years ago) may turn out be a thunker or may not turn up or indeed may turn up minus the seat you booked!!
A notable exception, at least some of the time, are the state run bus companies where you can be secure in the knowledge that you seat will be there and the bus will turn up!!
Of course there is no need to book you can just turn up and join the scrum to get on the local bus, these are frequent and follow no particular schedule instead they tend to leave when full and I mean full see the picture above!!
A trip to the mountains will almost certainly mean a trip on the bus quite an adrenaline rush as the driver navigates the hairpin bend sometime without the aid of power steering.
But the magnificence of the Himalayas will ease the pain somewhat!!!
Taxis
Taxis in India are not like taxis where you come from. Of course they can be used conventionally to get to the other side of town or the next village but strike the right deal and a taxi driver will be happy to drive you across the entire breadth of India or take you on a two week tour of Rajasthan.
They are to be found everywhere and in all shapes and forms from the mighty Ambassador to the Jeeps of the mountainous and desert areas of India.
If you are a group of four this can be a very comfortable and practical way to see India allowing you a lot more freedom of movement than a bus or train.
Some of the roadside hotels and restaurant (Dhabas) of India are fantastic and in the bus you sail straight past them.
Doing India this way gets you to many out of the way places you otherwise would miss!!
Again the best places to look for the correct prices are taxi union offices these display prices for many of the region towns and villages.
The whys and wherefores of taxi fares are to complicated to go into here I suggest asking someone at the hotel about prices or a visit to the taxi union office should throw some light on the price you should be paying for you selected journey!!
I will be posting a few links on the side bar shortly from companies I know and trust who specialize in this kind of thing so check out the links on the side bar!!
