JC in India

Getting around

Driving

Unless you are very brave, do not attempt to drive in India. The roads are chaotic at best, and the rules of the road in India differ to most other countries in many unwritten ways. While you may be a completely proficient driver ‘back home’, in India the challenge really lies in knowing these unwritten rules. For example, I have been in cars which turn left (they drive on the left here, same as UK), onto a busy road without even looking to see if there is oncoming traffic. Seemingly merging traffic takes precedence, and this also applies to roundabouts. It takes some getting used to, but after a while you can start to see an order to the madness and understand that drivers here know they system. Additionally, lane following is pretty much non-existent with vehicles weaving in and out and aimlessly wandering across lanes. Turning left from the outside right-hand lane at the last possible moment, expecting everyone else to get out the way or wait is also normal practice.

All of which points to the first message. Just don’t try and drive here, it is not worth it. Ubers, taxis and drivers are all relatively cheap and make the need to pilot your own vehicle pretty much obsolete. Another factor to consider is what to do if something goes wrong. A lot of the taxi drivers speak no English, and they make up a large amount of the cars on the road. In the event of an incident consider that it could be potentially difficult to deal with, on the side of a crazy busy road in extreme heat or monsoon rain, trying to communicate with someone who cannot understand a word you are saying and could very well be agitated. 

Drivers

It is of course possible to hire both a car and a driver for personal use. This can be by private arrangement using a range of companies, and my experience is of a friend who pays around 40,000 INR a month for a dedicated car and driver for 6 days a week, 12 hours a day with certain mileage caps (although unlikely to exceed these). The going rate for a driver and car for a day is around 2,500 INR but will all depend on who you find, standard of car, and negotiation.

Taxis/Ubers

These are prevalent, and easy to use. The standards will vary a lot, and do not assume that Uber Premium really means Premium. I have seen some very ramshackle vehicles almost embarrassingly pulling up under the ‘Premium’ label. Language capability of the driver will vary also, but if using Uber it should not really matter as the app does all the required direction finding. I have not yet experienced any deliberate detours for extra charges, as with Uber it is all pretty much predefined, and once in the car usually pretty straight forward. I have had occasions where I have had some poor standards of driving, and also had to advise the driver how to follow the map, but 90% of the time it is all generally smooth and efficient.

The only downside to Uber can be the potential for drivers to drop the pickup before arrival, or to see them heading off in completely the wrong direction, forcing you to have to cancel the trip sometimes with a small penalty through no fault of your own. That particular situation is very rare though (so far only happened to me twice in literally hundreds of Uber trips). The biggest headache can be the unreliability of the pickup actually reaching the right place, and sometimes having to explain to the driver over the phone (in broken English attempts if they only speak Hindi, which is usually the case), where to go. The phrase ‘just follow the map’ seems to sometimes evade them. But in the vast majority of times Uber works very well, is relatively cheap and can be paid for via Paytm which can be easily linked to your Uber account.

Also, worth noting there is a competing app called Ola, which offers the same style of service as Uber and even though I have not personally used it, I understand it to be pretty much identical and most drivers will be registered with both. I would suggest just choose one and use that, so you build credentials with one. Do not expect to get lots of 5-star ratings though. I do my utmost to be friendly, and usually leave a small tip and yet my rating is hovering around 4.75 which means I get the occasional lower review. 

The other alternative of note is Blu Smart, which provide electric vehicle rides in Delhi and certain other locations in India. This is again an app-based booking system and is very similar to Uber in terms of functionality except that rides are pre-booked up to 3 days in advance depending on availability, and once you have been confirmed a slot they guarantee to turn up on time. Apparently, their drivers operate a different model in that once they are allocated a trip the driver cannot cancel it. Therefore, they are significantly more reliable for advance planning journeys, particularly for trips where you are on a schedule and do not want the risk of waiting for an Uber that may not be available. I use this service now for airport trips, and to date have had no issues. Often the driver arrives around 15 minutes or more early and will wait for you. They may call to say they are there, and you may feel under pressure to go early as a result, but I suspect they actually enjoy the downtime of waiting and getting their own break from driving.

Overall Uber, Ola, and/or Blu Smart are very simple, cheap, and prevalent. While I have had a few minor issues, on the vast majority of occasions these have been an efficient way to get around.

Flying

Flying in India is a great way to travel further afield. Flights are plentiful and in the main relatively cost effective and reliable. Some airlines are more highly reputed than others, and I will call out Indigo has having the highest reliability rating and while they are considered a low cost carrier, service is pretty good and can generally be depended upon. The other carriers also have their own strengths/weaknesses, so I simply suggest choosing via schedule and price, and use a tool like flightradar24 to check historical on time performance of any particular flight if in doubt. 

Given the dominance of e-commerce in India booking online or via mobile apps is easy and no guidance for such is really needed. Be prepared for a potentially intrusive flight though as it is common for lack of queue discipline and for phones to be used without headphones attached, and the like. But in truth you can find that in most parts of the world now, and in some cases I have had some very pleasant flight experiences in India.

Only thing to heed which is different to other countries is the need to show proof of travel booking and ID on entering the terminal. You cannot simply go into an airport in India without this. However, on a domestic flight once you have entered the terminal building you will not need your ID again. 

Additionally, India is progressively rolling out DigiYatra which is document free travel, using facial recognition technology to smooth the airport transition. It does take a bit of setting up and is only for domestic travel at this stage but is a sign of technological progression for the positive.

Rail

My understanding of the nuances of rail travel comes simply from observation of others, rather than direct experience. However, this means of travel is a popular way of mass longer distance and more affordable transport. You can select from one of three classes of travel, with first class being recommended with usual 4 berth cabins and air conditioning. All travel on trains needs to be booked in advance, as everyone is allocated a seat in advance. Often there are waitlists for busy trains, and it therefore is better to plan in advance. Booking can be a little bit of the usual OTP validation minefield however, although once done expect to get given details of specific seats/cabins a few hours in advance of the journey.

In contrast is the city metro systems of Delhi, Mumbai and others which serve a commuter purpose and can be very busy at peak times. There is no specific advice needed for this, other than to watch out for the women only carriages and be prepared to be bustled about with the masses. But overall the experiences I have had of the Delhi metro (significant amount of which is above ground) is of a clean, fast and efficient service. It costs around 40 INR for a journey and is simple and easy to purchase tickets with cards or cash at the machines on the stations, and with good maps to help you plot your route.