General Comments: Consider hiring a car and driver for your entire time in a particular region. It costs less than you'd expect, and it gives you more flexibility, comfort, and convenience than taking buses or trains. If your driver is knowledgeable about the area and can speak your own language well enough, he can be a helpful guide and can smooth your way in many situations. We have almost always had good experiences with our drivers.
Some Cautions: Indian roads can be dangerous, with probably the highest accident rate in the world. If there are only a couple of people traveling, you'll probably be seated in the back seat of the car, and unfortunately rear seat belts are presently found only in the very newest cars in India. You can increase your chances of avoiding accidents and injuries by:
(a) Not driving at night. Many vehicles don't use their lights, and some, especially non-motorized vehicles, don't have any lights. There are also hazards such as dug-up roadways that may not be well marked or vehicles parked in the right of way. .
(b) Avoiding the highways which have a lot of truck traffic, usually the main trunk roads. Bigger vehicles insist on the right of way, and this often means the truck won't move over to let a mere car past. Often the trucks duel with each other, as evidenced by the frequent wrecks you'll see. The less traveled roads in the countryside can be more pleasant to drive on (assuming they're smoothly paved. However, many do have extremely rough surfaces).
(c) Not doing the driving yourself. Local drivers have developed the skills and reflexes to deal with the perils, and they are usually trained for a commercial license. Wages in India are quite low compared to those in the West, so you really won't pay much more for the driver's skills.
Costs: The costs of hiring the car and driver can vary widely and are somewhat negotiable. Figure around US$30 to $40 a day on the average, with everything included, perhaps more in Delhi. Air conditioned cars are somewhat more than non-AC. Larger vans will also be more. If two or more people are traveling, the cost per person becomes even more reasonable.
The driver's meals and lodging are normally figured into the cost of the hire, but ask at the beginning. Most hotels provide a basic no-cost dormitory-type accommodation for drivers, and also meals if the location is a remote one. Note: you may be tempted to invite your driver to eat with you, but hotels do not approve. Your driver won't expect it and would almost certainly refuse.
Tipping: For long term hires, Rs. 50 (around US $1.00) per day is considered good. If the driver pleases you, he'd definitely appreciate Rs. 75 per day, and in rare cases, you might want to give more. We prefer to tip at the end of the hire, but some people tip at the end of each day.
Where to Hire: Car hires are available through hotels and travel agencies, either locally or arranged in advance from home. Most local taxis can also be hired for a day or more at a negotiated price, although a special tourist car permit may be needed if the car is to take you on an extended trip outside the home city. For a reputable company operating in Rajasthan and Delhi, from our own experience we can suggest your contacting the in-house travel service at Hotel Megh Niwas in Jaipur: C-9, Sawai Jai Singh Highway, Bani Park, Jaipur 302 006 (Rajasthan), Fax: (0 141) 20-1420; Tel: (0 141) 20-2034/5/6; Email: email@meghniwas.com ; Web site: www.meghniwas.com
Typical Problems:
In our experience, most drivers, especially those hired for longer trips, are conscientious and they sincerely want to please their clients. The majority of misunderstandings probably arise because the driver's fluency in English is not as good as it may appear on first impression.
The driver usually does not own the car. He first gets some instructions from whomever he works for, based on what the car owner or hotel representative thinks you want. If your requests to the driver seem to modify these instructions, the driver may be reluctant to go against what his boss has told him, especially if he's not sure he understands what you've said.
It may take some time before you figure out whether or not your driver truly understands everything you say to him. As an example, recently in Kerala, a driver arranged by our hotel was taking us to the airport, and he was driving much too fast for our comfort. As a non-speaker of Malayalam, my first comment to him in English was a calm, "No hurry, plenty of time." He understood the word "hurry," and if anything, went faster. I next tried, "Slower, please!" A light went on in his eyes. "Slow!" he said. "Yes," I replied. He slowed considerably, and it was a pleasant ride after that.
Suggestions for hiring cars for a half day or longer:
Do your best to make sure the representative of the car hire company understands exactly what you want to do. If there's no written agreement, write down the cost figures to confirm them. Be clear in your understanding of :
a. The exact costs: A fixed amount per day? Per hour? Per kilometer traveled?
b. Everything that is covered by the amounts: Petrol? Tolls on bridges? On overnight trips, is the driver's lodging and meal allowance included, as is usual? If it's a one way hire, do you need to pay for the car and driver to return to the home city?
c. When payment is expected: Part up front, the remainder at the end?
It's not unusual to find that you want to make changes en route, so be clear on how any adjustments to the cost of the car hire will be computed.
If feasible, try to get a feel in advance for how easy it will be to communicate with the driver, and try to have the representative of the car hire company tell the driver that he is to comply with your requests, including any reasonable changes to the original instructions.
If you do run into communications problems with a driver that aren't resolved quickly, try to use simpler words, or draw a diagram, or perhaps get someone else to translate. Or phone to the car hire company's office.
Suggestions for hiring transportation for short trips to get around a local area: (taxis, "three-wheeler" autorickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, and horse-drawn tongas)
Although most taxis and autorickshaws have meters, they typically won't use them, so the cost must be negotiated. Try to ask first at your hotel or elsewhere what a fair charge should be for the trip.
Many of these drivers get payments and commissions from the shops they take you to, so you'll pay higher prices. If you don't want to visit shops, insist on that. If you go to a shop of your own choice, make sure the shopkeeper knows it wasn't the driver's decision.
Some airports, including at New Delhi, have a booth or counter where you can hire pre-paid taxis at a fixed fare into the city. It's usually a good arrangement.
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Copyright © 2002 Gary Worthington. All rights reserved.