[Bumblebee]

What is a cheap and convenient way to get around in big cities? Walking seems not an option for bigger distances - at least when I walked on my own from my Coloba hotel in Mumbai to Victoria train station, it was a mess; often you have to walk on the street (no pedestrian sidewalks) and I did not like it at all and felt it was not safe (both towards all men groping (it was my firts day in India ) and towards beinbg hit by traffic.
Taxi is expensive. City bus, being crowded like hell, is a challenge for a woman traveling alone I think. But taking a rickshaw all the time can put too much pressure on your budget... for sure when they ask you all teh time too much! That's another issue; after a while I knew the correct prices, and I told them they ask too much, and still they often refused to take me for the right price!

Which transport do you use? Both natives and travellers? And what do you recommend a girl traveling alone?  
And how do I deal with rickshaw drivers asking too much. Btw, I don't mind if they ask double to tourists (it's still cheap then), but please not three or four times the regular price (which was often the case)!

[Shiver me Timbers]

There's no easy way around it really. In Mumbai, I thought the bus service was excellent, I got them everywhere. In other cities like Bhopal and Calcutta, I also tried the buses, but they were much more packed - not double-decker like Mumbai.  Maybe not a great option for a girl like yourself. The rest of the time, I used rickshaws, which as you know, can be a test of your patience....

I found that naming my price and sticking to it no matter what always worked for me with the rickshaws. They might start high, but as soon as you walk away a couple of times, they'll meet your price (as long as it's reasonable). Every traveler has their own methods of dealing with them.

Edited by Conor M, 08 July 2007 - 06:02 PM.

[cyberhippie]

If your on your own and want to minimise the costs you can hire a rickshaw for a few hours to see the things you want to see. This works out a little cheaper and saves on constant bargaining with different drivers. Rickshaw wallahs are keen to do this as it keeps them occupied for a few hours and therefor earning.

Cycle rickshaws are another cheaper way to get around but they're not allowed everywhere in cities and are a slow way to get around!

Many cities will offer tours by bus but by no means all, ask at your hotel if there are city bus trips available. In Delhi you now have the excellent subway system which can get you to evere more parts of the city quickly and without hassle!!

Walking around is an option, you do get used to the chaos eventually and develop a six sense for dodgy sidewalks and suicidal taxi drivers!

[YETI]

Conor M, on Jul 8 2007, 06:00 PM, said:

I found that naming my price and sticking to it no matter what always worked for me with the rickshaws. They might start high, but as soon as you walk away a couple of times, they'll meet your price (as long as it's reasonable). Every traveler has their own methods of dealing with them.

My technique is, whenever possible, to pick a rickshaw with other rickshaw-wallahs nearby. That way you can always walk off to another if the price is ridiculous. Sometimes you can even get them into a bit of a bidding war.

Cyberhippie's tip about hiring a rickshaw-wallah for a morning/afternoon is a good one. Two or three hundred rupees or so and you get a guided tour of the city. A taxi-wallah I hired in Bombay was great - he took me to all the sites, he recommended me a great cheap dhaba for lunch and pointed me in the direction of his favourite pub in the evening. Well worth every rupee - I'd just arrived in India for the first time and was feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. After a day with him, I felt perfectly at home.

[YETI]

Oh and a little Hindi helps, too, no matter how basic.

"Bhai- Paharganj, kitna?' tends to get you a more reasonable price than 'How much is it to Paharganj?'

[retiredchutney]

in mumbai public buses are the best. try to travel between 10am-4pm.  anything outside of that might get crowded and tiring.  plus buses also have reserved seats for women.    you can make a man get up if he is sitting in a reserved seat for women.  and men oblige in bombay.

in trains, try to buy a first class ticket and go buy the women's first compartment.  within those times, you should be okay for the most part with the crowds.  also understand the direction flow of the traffic for peak hour traffics. and if you go against the flow, its not bad at all.......

the trains between 10 and 3pm should be okay any direction.  after 3 pm or before 10am, the reverse direction to peak flows are not bad.  

i did a joy walk from Dadar (Central Mumbai) to CST (Victoria Terminus) a year back one late morning ....and it wasnt too bad.  it could have been less polluted but the walk was good checking out the various neighbourhoods.....