Pin code: 380006, Ellisbridge

The economy and business were in a slump after Covid-19. Client visits and meetings were gradually beginning to reach. Instead of flying from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, I took the train route. Travel was restricted to the leadership team only, unless it was absolutely necessary for business continuity.

By 9 a.m., I was at Ahmedabad station PF#1. My local colleague had already advised me not to hire an auto from those who are following you for a hotel drop and specified a fixed fare of INR 100. Also, never declaring your intent to stay in a hotel was his caution. To make you feel at ease, the Auto wala will drop you off for free or at a small charge at any random hotel. Admin had already reserved a hotel for me that was less than 5 km from the railway station.

True to what my colleagues said, I was surrounded by auto drivers and a few taxi drivers. They were only charging Rs.20/- for any hotel drop. I politely declined and exited the parking lot. From the main road, I bargained for Rs.100/- to HCG hospital in Ellisbridge. I focused on Ellisbridge rather than HCG Hospital because my hotel was direct across the street. However, the Auto wala insisted on charging Rs.120/-.

He dropped me off in front of SVP hospital in Ellisbridge in about 15 minutes and said, this is your location. However, I stated that this was SVP hospital and that I had requested a drop for HCG hospital. According to the Auto wala, this is the Ellisbridge location and the government hospital; the other is private. The auto driver accepted Rs. 100 and drove in the opposite direction.

I continued to look for an HCG signboard. Unable to locate it, I called my colleague and asked him to come down and recommend a prominent signboard or send me his current location. Sir, I am already downstairs but can't see you, and he began reading random signs and kept asking me to trace them. I rejected everything. 5 to 7 minutes elapsed during the process. All of sudden the same Auto wala came and asked, you have shared me wrong details. Allow me to speak with the person on the other end of the phone. Both now spoke in Gujarati and drove me to the next signal, which was probably less than 500 meters away. My colleague was standing right here.

When I got down, the Auto wala asked for Rs. 20 more and drove away, saying this is also Ellisbridge. Overall, I understood he wanted Rs.120/- for this trip, and his attempt was eventually successful. He was watching me closely while I was speaking with my colleague, completely unaware of his presence. He was aware that I was new to town and had not come for a hospital visit.

Thus, my auto trip ended with the Auto wala getting his quoted price at Pin: 380006, Ellisbridge.