Two Reasons the Indian Rickshaw Wallah Refuses You.

Go anywhere in Mumbai today and you will see people having a harrowing time trying to get a rickshaw to their destination. If you have not been to India you might not know the exact meaning of an Indian autorickshaw - sometimes shortened to 'auto' or 'rickshaw'.  Here is a picture of the rickshaw: 

This three wheeler, rugged and most times rusty vehicle has been the answer to a Mumbaiite's prayer sometime or the other in their lives. Whether it is the person who has to reach his office in time, or whether its the student who has to reach his school, who hasn't heaved a sigh of relief when they see these soda-can-for-safety vehicles whizzing past the most expensive of vehicles with gay abandon?

Well, that was then, and today we have a scenario where the rickshaw wallahs do not whizz towards us, but they whizz away from us. And make no mistake about it,  this isn't about a 'high fare' 'low fare' thing... I have had rickshaw wallahs refuse to ply me even from Bandra to Malad - which is almost 3/4th of the total fare on can make in the suburbs. 

So bad is the situation that some of the newspapers have actually started a campaign against rickshaw and cab drivers who do not ply passengers from one place to another. Here is the reason why: 

It is illegal for rickshaw wallahs to refuse to ply a passenger. If the traffic inspector is informed of it, the rickshaw driver can be fined an amount of 3000 INR ($60) and he can even be put in prison for a very brief stint.  Remember, a rickshaw wallah denying your service is equal to a grocery shop owner denying you the sale of anything because he doesn't want to.

The situation was not always like this.  I still remember, back in the days when I used to go to school (that was in the '90s) hiring a rickshaw to go anywhere was something that one would do when:

• They are going with family
• They are going with their girlfriend/boyfriend
• They are going somewhere 'important'. 

And dare the rickshaw wallah ever say no to a customer. The rickshaw wallah of the nineties will remember the time when they used to pass entire days without having a single customer, and would therefore have to do dual jobs  - one in the day shift and one in the night shift. 

So, what is the reason that everyday we have a seething population who is denied service by even the tenth rickshaw wallah that they flag down? - Actually there are many. Here are just some of them: 

The Insane Traffic of Mumbai: 

The amount of traffic has increased manifold in Mumbai. And that is because of the raising standards of living amongst the intelligent and hardworking more. For example, ten years ago a person would buy a scooter if they had a stable job - today they buy a vehicle.  And with the costs of vehicles coming down like a windfall, the rise of the car owning Mumbaiite is something quite obvious. 

Therefore, it is quite simple that driving a vehicle is quite difficult in Mumbai, and even in the whole of India. Lane discipline is something that we are yet to get acquainted with - the highways have tens and hundreds of connecting roads at every corner which making driving at speeds quite risky for the driver as well as others on the road.  Nothing that should bother a rickshaw wallah, but all the same - they are as irritated by the traffic as we are.

The Rising Living Standards of the People in Mumbai: 

Come to think of it, Mumbai is still considered to be the land of dreams by many Indians living in non metro areas as well as people who are living in other, under developed countries. So, don't you think that the rickshaw wallah who came to Mumbai a good twenty years back and started driving rickshaws back when having an automobile was something we saw in movies would have made enough money so that he can refuse to ply whenever his little heart wishes?