A maze for auto drivers

Autorickshaw and taxi drivers who play a pivotal role in helping reach commuters to their desired destinations in the city, find it hard at times to identify the routes. Stuck with a passenger in a remote location, unable to find any signboard or no one to ask, is their worst nightmare.

But even old areas pose challenges. Sample this: Fifty-year-old Boregowda who has been driving a rickshaw for more than 20 years was left clueless hunting for an address enroute to Magadi road. He eventually reached his destination, but only after asking a dozen localities and other auto drivers of the area. “We usually don’t lose the routes but sometimes confusion happens when the lanes turn out to be narrow. I find going to Magadi Road and Tannery Road exhausting and nerve-racking.”

Some autorickshaw and taxi drivers blame their passengers for directions lost. Lokesh C, an auto driver from Rajarajeshwari Nagar says: “Sometimes, the customers would not even know the name of the place. Many others spell the place wrongly, puzzling us further. However, barring a few, most drivers are aware of the routes. IN case we don’t find a particular place, we rely on the other localities in the area or tell the customer to find out the landmark through the relatives or their friends.”

Taxi drivers, whose daily routine includes picking up the passengers from railway stations, airports, offices, bus stations and other busy junctions, find it daunting when they are told to go to new places. One of them, Yellappa takes the help of a Bangalore map to ply his customers to the required places. “A person who is new to taxi driving, initially finds it a bit hard in reaching new places. I suggest they carry a map always, and take the help of local search services,” says Yellappa.