The Auto Drifters

Cities and towns across India have these quaint three-wheelers that we have named auto-rickshaws, and they have ruled the roads for many decades. They may be getting eased out of the roads across the metros, but in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, they rule the roads.

The drivers who ply these vehicles are fiercely ambitious and know exactly who a prospective passenger is. In a crowd of thousands, they can spot that one opportunity and find a fare. They have a disdain for traffic rules, traffic policemen and traffic lights. In most cities, their fare meters are never used, and fare is decided by old-fashioned bargaining. The fares can fluctuate wildly based on weather, time of the day, number of prospective passengers vying for their attention, areas of the city they ply in, special occasions, festivals or riots. 

If you are on the road on a two-wheeler or in your car, and you find yourself following a slow-moving auto-rickshaw who simply refuses to speed up and is hogging the road, venting your frustration by leaning on the horn of your vehicle may do good to your mental health. It does not affect the object of your exasperation because he is in the ‘hunter’ mode, looking for a passenger.

When not having a passenger, an auto-rickshaw moves very slowly, and if you are behind one, you are advised to be very, very careful.

As you curse the auto-rickshaw driver and your luck, never forget to keep a distance from the auto-rickshaw in front of you. When he does find someone, who looks like a possible passenger, he will ram the brakes and come to an abrupt halt anywhere on the road.

Sometimes, the auto-rickshaw driver spots an opportunity on the other side of the road. He will stop, and make the vehicle do a design-defying 90 or 180-degree turn to reach his prospect. The vehicle manufacturers are known to have left scratching their heads at this manoeuver that defies the original product design and performance capabilities.

 An auto-rickshaw without a passenger is drifting slowly, very slowly along the road, looking for passengers. He may stop anywhere, anytime. Or, he may simply turn, without giving any prior information on his intentions. As most citizens with private vehicles have found out to their consternation, lack of distance between your vehicle and a slow-moving auto-rickshaw will, more often than not, result in a touch, scrape, bang or collision with the three-wheeler.

In any crisis, the man who is better prepared wins. The auto-rickshaw driver is always well prepared, and ready for a scrap, argument or discussion.

You can go blue in the face arguing about the auto-rickshaw driver’s lack of civic sense, and his violation of basic rules such as lane discipline. It is all futile, because it has been ordained in the most ancient of sacred texts known to mankind that whether you are at fault or the auto-rickshaw driver is, you pay. All you can do is negotiate the amount, pay up, and get going on your way.

A drifting, slow-moving auto-rickshaw on our roads is something that you need to steer clear of. For your own good.

They don’t mean to be, and probably don’t even know it, but they are a menace to others on the road. Their drifting makes them so.

You will notice that the auto-rickshaws with passengers are less of a menace. They have a destination, and seem to have acquired discipline, if only for the short while of that passenger’s trip.

We have team members in our teams who are drifters. They have no idea why they are here, and they don’t care. It shows in their lack of discipline and diligence at work. Admonitions and strong feedback have little effect. They carry on drifting.

Just as a drifting auto-rickshaw is a menace to other vehicles on the road, a drifting team member is a menace to other members of the team. Either fix him/her or get that person out of the team. For your own good.