A Tribute to the Auto-Rickshaw

The auto-rickshaw is definitely my new favorite mode of transportation. Traffic in Mumbai is like nothing I’ve ever experienced, and doing it in an auto-rickshaw lends it a whole other dimension.

Auto-rickshaws are three-wheeled motorized vehicles with room for the driver in the front and up to three passengers in the back (some people take that only as a suggestion). They’re open on the sides so you get the full experience of what it’s like to whiz through the streets of a slum or sit in traffic as the dust swirls around you and the sun beats down.

Traffic lights and signs are a rarity and there is organized chaos instead of orderly lanes. People make u-turns how and wherever they want; basically anything goes. Despite all this, any of us have yet to see an accident. People are constantly honking and all the trucks have “HORN OK PLEASE” painted on their backs. The honking is a way of letting people know you’re there because Mumbai drivers go and do whatever they want.

Someone earlier on this trip said drivers here are simultaneously the rudest and most polite ever. I’ll agree with that. I plan on videotaping an auto ride and posting it here; this post doesn’t do it justice.

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