Chapter 5: New methods of travel in Bangalore

This is the fifth chapter in my series on travelling around in Bangalore. This time, I'm writing about all the wonderful new options available to getting around in the city. I say wonderful honestly, having used each one of them, and realising how important they are as a transport method. While I have listed a few below, I'm certain that newer ways will manifest in times to come.

Also, perhaps because of the nature of the city (IT, tech, innovation) these systems are available only in Bangalore. Some, like OLA, Uber, etc are pan-national, but many, especially that provide localised or last mile connectivity are unique only to the silicon valley of the east.

So, if you don't want to drive your own car, don't want to take the bus, train, auto or metro, nor want to walk, will you be stuck at Point A, pining for Point B? Well, no - there are many, many ways of getting around. Here's the current list:


1) Ridesharing/cab-booking apps: Namely, Uber and OLA. Since Bangalore has never had a proper taxi service (like the other 4 metros), these two caught on like wildfire since they hit the roads 5-6 years ago. For many, this has become the default option of either daily commute or isolated travel. I myself used them a lot, but have removed them from my list of favourites. I listed them high up the order only because of their popularity.

(Note: There's a similar service on bikes called Rapido)

• Advantages
• Available 24x7, city-wide
• Ease of use, courtesy of the mobile app
• Option to either share a ride, or book a cab
• Autos also available on the platform. I see this as a huge advantage, since you avoid haggling with the auto-drivers
• Option of going cashless. The cash option is also available, making is accessible to the older generation and those with loads of black money!
          
• Disadvantages
• No longer cheap. And sometimes, because of surge pricing, it can be crazy. A trip on Friday evening from work to home will be as high as ₹500.  And the pricing is not transparent. When they say 'taxes and tolls', they don't specify how much for each.
• And just because it's available 24x7, doesn't mean you will get it! Driver cancellation rates are very high. They are looking for longer fares, so if you are going for a short distance, or not to Koramangala or Indiranagar, forget it.
• Smelly cabs. Have you noticed that typical suffocating smell?
• No phone support. If you have an issue, you are forced to wade through a series of questions, in categories that are not flexible, and then type out your complaint. You have to wait for someone to respond. 
• Unsafe for women at night. Some drivers do look that sort

My verdict: Last option to resort to.

2) Carpooling apps: Technically, even OLA and Uber can be called as car pooling apps, but they aren't really. There are a few specialised car pooling services that have come up in the last 2-3 years. Some of them are:

• QuickRide
• SRide
• Bla Bla car

There's a longer list of these carpooling apps here. The main difference between these apps and OLA/Uber is that in this case, the car is being driven by people like you and me, going to work daily. And they decide to take on other riders, for a fee. Now legally, they can't accept payment, else they will be called taxis, and the vehicles would need to be converted to yellow boards. Therefore, these apps have found a workaround. For example, QuickRide, calls it 'fuel-sharing' and uses a point based system for transacting on a ride. These 'points' can be bought or sold through Paytm, where a point is a rupee. I thought that was really smart. 

• Advantages
• Much cheaper than OLA/Uber and autos
• Trusted drivers. They verify through the driver's company email id and not gmail or yahoo
• Cars of much better quality and importantly, no smell!
• Great conversations. It's like meeting someone on the airplane
• Cashless, so easy to manage payments
          
• Disadvantages
• Low Availability. Some rides are very popular and always booked. 
• Also during out of office hours or weekends, there is low/no availability
• It's not a sofa to chair transfer (read home to office). You might need to walk or take another form of transport at either end (sometimes both ends)
• The ride can be uncomfortable depending on the vehicle and number of passengers. I once travelled to Electronic City in an Alto, where I was in between two other well-built riders. And one of them was not of the petite kind!

My verdict: If you have well defined start and end hours, this is a great option. Young chaps - you might also find your jeevansaathi here ;)

3) Bike rentals: Have you been to Goa? And hired bikes there? That concept has kind of been replicated here, with a few changes. But extremely effective nonetheless, not only as a great last mile connectivity, but also as a general travelling option.  There are 3 categories of these bike rental services: 

1. The Goa model (hire for a few hours or days): Zap, DriveEasy..
2. Station to station (ride between pre-determined spots): Vogo, Yulu..
3. Freebird (anywhere to anywhere): Bounce

I have been using these quite extensively, and am deeply in love with them. But, like others, let us analyse their pros and cons as well.

• Advantages
• The cheapest among the newage options. Only more expensive than buses and trains
• All the benefits of a bike, without owning one. So no servicing, insurance, etc
• High availability, especially Bounce
• Low impact on environment. Yulu and Bounce offer cycles and electric options - no pollution
• Cashless, so easy to manage payments
          
• Disadvantages
• Quality of these bikes and cycles are sometimes suspect. So it's a risk. 
• Many of these bikes don't have helmets (stolen by bikers). So either you have to carry your own, or run the risk of being fined. 

My verdict: Yes, yes, yes! Although these could be perceived to be only for students, in my view they are a big help. I use them a lot, especially Bounce and Yulu. Big shout out to them.


Note: All views expressed here are my own. All brands and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Usage here is for illustration purposes only.