“Give Rs.5 extra”,
“Don’t mind about mere Rs.10″,
“Petrol prices have gone high”,
“I got to go around the town to reach that place”
Very familiar dialogues? If you are a resident of Chennai (or a resident of India as a matter of fact), they would definitely sound familiar to you. These are the regular phrases used by auto men around the cities. But many often, we do come across auto men who are extremely friendly and polite. I met one such weird guy recently. I was waiting to catch an auto to goto a nearby place when this guy came. As everyone does, he nodded after hearing the destination. Then I expected the bargain to begin. It did begin and it ended soon.
Myself : How much?
Driver : Rs. 30/-
Myself : No… Rs.20/-
Driver : Rs.25/-
Myself : No… Rs.20/-
The driver nodded. It was a reasonable amount. No one would come for a price lesser than that. As I got into the auto, he proved that he is yet another auto driver to disprove the stereotype of auto drivers.
Driver (chuckling) : You need not have bargained.
Myself : huh?
Driver : If you had given Rs.20/- at the destination, I would have readily accepted without bargaining…
I just listened and waited for him to continue.
Driver : …Instead, everyone bargains at the beginning like you did. When you asked how much at the beginning, I thought I could just try my luck by calling for Rs.30/-. Then I further tried my luck by asking for Rs.25/-…
I eagerly waited to hear what he was upto.
Driver : … but then, you need not have asked. We auto drivers never settle for the right price…
I expressed my approval with a mild laugh. He continued.
Driver : … once the minimum price was Rs.7/- but we never settled for that. Now the minimum price is Rs.15/- but again we, the auto drivers, wouldn’t settle for that price.
After the ride, I thought about this. How many people out there get into an auto without bargaining? It does happen in movies and TV soaps. I have not seen people doing that. If it happens, do auto men respond well? I don’t think so. Maybe a few reasonable men would do it. I have seen auto men complaining about the charges throughout the ride. Some people even request for some extra amount. Not every auto drivers would negotiate for a reasonable amount, would they?
