#uberUNDALLO: Why I prefer Uber over autos and local taxis

Being a Kochiite since 2008, I’ve traveled to most parts of the city, and here are two mounting problems that I’ve faced everywhere – choking traffic and errant auto and cab drivers.  Traffic menace keeps getting worse each day and so are the number of rude and indecent auto and taxi drivers who rip-off passengers by demanding jaw-dropping rates.

You will get caught up in traffic jams at every signal in every 5 minutes during peak hours of traffic.  Police officials are deployed at most key locations in the city to speed up traffic; yet, you might get stuck on the roads for hours together due to unmanageable traffic blocks that have exacerbated considerably with the ongoing Kochi Metro construction. 

Depend on auto or taxi services and you’re in for endless troubles. Let me narrate one among the bitter experiences I've had – It was a usual Monday morning and I was on my way to office, unaware about an abrupt auto strike. I flagged an auto and headed to my office. The vehicle had hardly moved a few yards ahead and it was surrounded by a group of uncouth and belligerent auto drivers who shouted at me and the driver and threatened to beat him up. I was unwell and told them that I won’t be able to walk in the hot sun, but my requests fell on deaf ears. I was forced to move out of the vehicle, had to pay the fare, put up with the rudeness, and walk all the way to my office.  Here comes the most ironical part – A police man watching my ordeal from a nearby traffic signal and never came forward to help me. 

Most of the auto and cab drivers enjoy unfettered reign in the city, and keep fleecing the public by charging exorbitant rates. Some even ply without permits and yet get off scot-free. They flout traffic rules, never ply on meters, refuse destinations, and decide rates as per their whims and fancies. You can hardly see an auto with a properly functioning fare meter. They are either dysfunctional or fully tampered. The only safest and reasonable mode of transportation is Uber. While they don’t help deal with the city traffic snarls, ride-hailing services like Uber offer innumerable advantages that are hard to ignore.

I have been an Uber rider since they first launched their services in Kochi. Safety, reasonable fares, and upfront pricing before I hope in (no haggling or arguments at the end of a ride) are the most important reasons why I choose Uber over other modes of transportation. They help hail taxis from anywhere, anytime. I don’t have to wait for hours and keep flailing my arm for a taxi or auto. Instead, I can book a taxi at the tap of a button and get nice, GPS-monitored rides in swanky cars, and the app shares every bit of detail about the chosen route and the driver. It also helps share my trip status with my parents back in my hometown. 

As someone who travels alone on most days, my safety is my utmost priority. Believe it or not, Uber taxis are secure, even while travelling in unfamiliar surroundings, highly cost-effective (much lesser than autos and conventional taxis), and utmost convenient all the time. Their online payment options are immensely advantageous and so are the carpooling services, a real game-changer that enables comfortable rides at competitive rates. Uber carpooling helps share rides and split the costs with three others who requests rides along similar routes. No wonder why they enjoy an enviable 5 to 10% week-on-week growth, with about 3.5 lakh customers per month. With exciting discount offers that I get to enjoy practically every week, why would I bother to choose any other mode of transport or put up with the tantrums of impolite and greedy drivers?

But of late, Uber cab drivers in Kochi are getting waylaid, abused, and assaulted by unruly auto and cab drivers every other day. The situation is alarming and might likely worsen in the coming days if no stringent actions are taken against the offenders. This growing ire is absolutely unjustifiable. Online cab aggregators like Uber thrive by leaps and bounds because they promise safe, time-bound, and impeccable service without burning a hole in a rider’s wallet. And in a democratic country like ours, everyone has the right to work hard and enjoy a slice of the pie.

Unruliness and greediness are the sole reasons why conventional taxi and auto drivers face a major drop in their revenues. Hooliganism and vandalism will not help anyone find their footing in today’s fast-paced and competitive transportation market. And the ongoing apathy of the authorities will only drive forward-thinking global ride hailing companies away from the state. Strong and sustainable measures are the need of the hour to protect online cab aggregators from the thugs among auto drivers and local cabbies. It’s the only effective way to stop all the ongoing organized assaults and abuses long before they intensify and spiral out of control.

The visible god

I couldn't hold back my tears while reading it. It was a heart wrenching news report on how a young professor allegedly pushed his mother to death because he was "fed up" with her illness. What has the world come to? Why are parents abused, disowned, or killed by their own children (Unless you've been living under a rock, you might have heard of Thalaikoothal or senicide).

"God cannot be everywhere, so he created mothers". Aren’t these words true beyond doubt? Hell yes they are! But humans are the most insane species, they worship the invisible God and abuse or kill the visible. Mother is symbolic to god, universe, happiness and a lot more. Since the day you took root in her womb to the day you opened your eyes to the world, and forever, the only person who continues to shower all the love and affection in her heart is your mother.  Can anyone else do what she does for you? Absolutely not! A mother is the only person who can love and accept you unconditionally. Her love is deep, pure, and genuine. It will remain unchanged forever.  She is patient beyond words and loving beyond measure. She is the only person you can turn yourselves to, at any age and in any situation, and look for boundless love.

Mother is a god’s greatest gift to us. I’ve disagreed with my mom several times, I have argued with her on several occasions, and have questioned her choices many times. But, age and experience brought the realization moms are always right, and the sooner you accept it, the better off you will be. Many a times I was too preoccupied with frivolous and momentary joys when she needed me the most. I feel regret and guilt over all those irresponsible steps. I’m at the fag-end of my thirties but there is one place where I can be a child again, and that’s in front of my mom. I am sure everyone else in this world too feels the same.  My mom means the world to me and not a day goes by that we don’t text or talk to each other. From predicting my exact emotional state of mind to lending me a shoulder to lean on when I need, my mom always makes me believe that the world is still a good place. She is the only person I can pour my heart out to. She has that magical power to turn things around and make me smile even on those worst days.

How can some people heartlessly abandon their mothers, most selfless and loving people on earth, while continuing to lavish love on the rest of the world? How can one commit parricide or matricide? Not a day goes by without hearing bloodcurdling stories of elderly citizens getting abused, mistreated and left to starve, or killed. Why are they considered as marauders of those whom they’ve cared nurtured throughout their lives? From abandoning them in old age homes to committing gruesome acts that put all of humanity to shame, people are simply failing to realize the value and worth of parents.

I’ve been to many old age homes for women and the sordid tales of most inmates are absolutely tear-jerking.  How can one hardheartedly shun and abandon parents to live and die lonely? Despite dealing with all the odds and hardships to bring their children up, most of them are left alone at the dusk of their lives. Why? Because, their children believe their lives get difficult if their parents continue to live with them. I just cannot fathom the reason behind this barbaric thinking. Here is the ironical part – Most of might have prayed to be blessed with children and at their twilight years they’re facing abandonment and loneliness. Let’s remind ourselves that humanity, sensitivity, and emotions are dying the most pitiful death while the world sprints forward to attain more material and momentary pleasures.