The risks of riding across town

The auto-rickshaw is a staple of Indian public transportation. It’s a little, often rickety vehicle with three wheels and a motorcycle engine, with open sides that leave its driver and passengers exposed to the elements. It’s our preferred method of transportation here: it’s generally cheap, though not necessarily fast (that depends entirely on the traffic and the driver), and it always guarantees some interesting sights and occasionally an adventure.



Every time I get into a rickshaw, I’m entrusting my life to another human being – one who may very possibly be drunk, crazy, or just plain stupid. On any given occasion, as we barrel down the street in this little sheet metal vehicle, we dodge cars and motorcycles with a hair’s breadth between us, jerk around potholes (or not), and sometimes come to abrupt halts when there simply isn’t space for us to maneuver around traffic. This is all at speeds generally too fast for whatever road we’re headed down.



I used to ride while pressing down an imaginary brake pedal with my right foot. At this point, I’ve come to terms with the inevitable. It feels rather Buddhist to understand that death may be before me – at the cost of Rs.50 (US $1) – and that I have to accept that fate as I climb aboard. Of course, Danny tells me that most collisions in Delhi involve a car and a pedestrian, since people on foot cross rather higgelty piggelty, so really, I know it’s unlikely we’ll be in a crash.



Actually, I really enjoy riding in rickshaws. I think they’re a great way to experience India with several senses: the sights, the sounds, the smells. Taxis, the alternate method of travel, shelter you from those kinds of sensory opportunities – and tend to be far more expensive than hopping on a rickshaw.

The photos in this post were taken through the back window of a rickshaw Danny and I rode today on our way back to the hotel from Connaught Place. The look of a rickshaw differs slightly from vehicle to vehicle, and so I took advantage of this particular rickshaw's rare rear window.