Rick Racket - Richa
‘Symbiosis tak chod do’ I say, to the grouchy rick wala who is blabbering away to glory as usual about NCP or Congress or BJP with the other rick walas, near our house at Gokhlenagar…’NO’ he says, ‘Its too near’, ‘Give me 15 bucks’…’NO’ I say, ‘You are charging a ridiculous amount.’ ‘Damn!’ I swear, as he gets back to gabbling about his favorite political leader. I walk half the way, then decide to take another rick anyway before I lose out on that precious attendance, this guy asks for 20 bucks for half the distance…I crinkle my nose in disgust as I walk away praying I make it on time. I reach huffing and puffing, all grumpy and perspiring.
Another day you say, ‘Bhaiyya, MG road’..you get a cold stare…’NO’ he says…’its too far.’ After much pleading, he does me a favour and says ‘Give me Rs 100’…I give him a glacial look as usual.. ‘No’ I say, I ld rather take the bus!
Try getting a rick from FC road or JM road, back to SB road, and you ll find how harrowing it can get either hailing a rick, or getting the guy to agree to give you a lift home!
It either tooo near for them or tooo far off, or tooo late at night at 930 p.m or tooo early for them to be on the roads at 730 a.m.. To your pleasant surprise, if you do find a rickwala who is ready to go to your destination at the first instance, and that too charging you as per the meter, be prepared to be prepared for either a) He is drunk and will drive like a race horse, b) His meter is running superfast and you cannot argue further or c) He ll ask you to alight midway, saying he thought you said some other location!
Perhaps if we all go on a strike for a couple of days, they might actually start valuing us. Presently, ‘Customer Delight’ doesn’t stand anywhere on their list of priorities and the authorities are least bothered to bring these exalted rick walas to book.
~Richa
Another day you say, ‘Bhaiyya, MG road’..you get a cold stare…’NO’ he says…’its too far.’ After much pleading, he does me a favour and says ‘Give me Rs 100’…I give him a glacial look as usual.. ‘No’ I say, I ld rather take the bus!
Try getting a rick from FC road or JM road, back to SB road, and you ll find how harrowing it can get either hailing a rick, or getting the guy to agree to give you a lift home!
It either tooo near for them or tooo far off, or tooo late at night at 930 p.m or tooo early for them to be on the roads at 730 a.m.. To your pleasant surprise, if you do find a rickwala who is ready to go to your destination at the first instance, and that too charging you as per the meter, be prepared to be prepared for either a) He is drunk and will drive like a race horse, b) His meter is running superfast and you cannot argue further or c) He ll ask you to alight midway, saying he thought you said some other location!
Perhaps if we all go on a strike for a couple of days, they might actually start valuing us. Presently, ‘Customer Delight’ doesn’t stand anywhere on their list of priorities and the authorities are least bothered to bring these exalted rick walas to book.
~Richa
posted by The Mad Magazine at
6:12 AM
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