Is metro the best mode of transport for urban Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru? Why?
Metro surely is one of the best modes of transport but it also depends on the city as each city has it’s own transport dynamics.In Mumbai as Metro as metro is still not very developed, the best mode is still the Mumbai locals for the common man, but for a visitor perhaps it’s advised to take the autos or the cabs. This is because traveling is the locals is an art which only a seasoned commuter can perform, so it also depends on what category of commuter you are!The same holds for Chennai as the metro is still developing, but more than locals the people there depend more on the low cost bus services which connect all parts of Chennai.In Delhi I obviously found the Delhi metro to be world class, as such it is the best mode of transport there. It is the oldest developed metro apart from the Kolkata metro which was started in 1985. Nearly 2 decades of head start have given it the opportunity to develop into a full scale mass transit option for Delhi. It reaches pretty much most parts of Delhi and has a high speed line to the Airport so it does a good job of handling long distance commute. But it doesn’t help when it comes to short distance commute, you’re better off using shared autos and buses.Bangalore metro was envisaged in the late 80s, the RITES alignment study conducted then planned the Metro alignment for the city’s girth as it existed then. But 3 decades later, Bangalore has grown beyond imagination, so the earlier alignment comes up woefully inadequate, certainly for no fault of the authorities. Then again the work on the metro started only in 2010 which makes it 25 years too late. BMRCL is obviously trying to make up for lost time by trying to put in phase 2 & phase 3 in the quickest possible time though underground sections will certainly delay the job a bit considering the hard granite rock.So it’s still not the best as far as Bangalore is concerned as there are vast sections of the city yet to be covered and more 6 car trains need to be put in as the metro is already running packed trains. Then again nothing like the metro for long distance commute if it is along your route. So till the metro reaches full connectivity across Bangalore, people will surely use cars, cabs and 2 wheelers apart from the ubiquitous BMTC buses!
What are some safe offbeat things to do ,as a girl in Chennai alone?
Chennai is a often described my many as a smaller city, but i would call it a pocket dynamo and a melting pot of a whole lot of cultures. If you are from outside of Chennai, it wouldn't take you a day to find someone from the same region and culture as yours and so, you could explore a lot and come back with lots of good memories and experiences.To start of your off beat things to do aloneBook off a ticket in Sathyam on a Thursday for a blind date ticket where you would not know what film you are going and what the genre it would be. If you are adventurous and doesn't mind risking some few hours on a Thursday evening, go for it.If you are a foodie, go for food walks. I have done a few based on my choices since you have a similar profile of being a veggie and tea-totaller start off from sowcarpet. Enter mint street, ask people for kakda ramprasad and taste that badam milk and from thereon you can start your eating spree, I decide against giving further details which may spoil your experience. Eat whatever you see and hear from locals. that street does not have a bad food stall. Your tummy might throw tantrums for a couple of days but believe me it's worth it.If you have a two-wheeler this next activity will be fun, go to ECR on any evening by 5 and from there on ride as far as you can planning your return back by 6.30. You will see some of the craziest and insane sunsets while driving from ECR into the city. This may sound not so off-beat but not many know this version of ECR-Sunset relations.Take a photo-walk on marina(Not Bessie(besant nagar))beach on a Sunday evening. Forget the crowd and tantrums, The amount of colors against the bluish rough sees is just amazing. A mobile with a camera would suffice, just to capture colors and fancy the experience is worth it.I do a lot of these kind of things, but some of it i don't whether it comes under off-beat. These are just the things to start off, I am sure you might find your own flavors. Will update if there is any other off-beat things that are fun and unique in Chennai. Let me know if you have anything to share.
Do you think the Quick Ride car/bike pooling app will be successful?
Quick Ride is successful, considering that just a few years back no one thought carpooling concept will take off in India. Why carpooling will fail in IndiaQuick Ride is the leading ride-sharing platform for corporate employees in India with 150k downloads, despite having presence in only three cities, namely, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai (It started operations in Hyderabad and Chennai recently).Quick Ride was awarded, “Most Innovative and High Potential Product” at NASSCOM Product Conclave, 2016.We're beloved to thank our Clients & Users for making QuickRide as "Most Innovative and High Potential Product" at @NASSCOM_Product #Carpool pic.twitter.com/ldmzfd4ObP— Quick Ride (@QuickRidein) October 28, 2016Also recently Quick Ride has partnered with Bangalore Metro to provide first and last-mile connectivity. Five startups get chance to enhance first and last-mile connectivity for MetroAnd with increasing traffic and environmental concerns, ride-sharing concept is bound to gain traction and acceptance with the users and governments.Revenue in the "Ride Sharing" segment amounts to US$31,893m in 2017. Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2017-2021) of 21.8 % resulting in a market volume of US$70,126m in 2021. User penetration is at 8.6 % in 2017 and is expected to hit 13.3 % in 2021. Ride Sharing - worldwide | Statista Market Forecast
How is the response for bike taxi service in Bengaluru or any other metro city?
Recently I have travelled with OLA BIKE. Service was extremely impressive. I was provided with a helmet, plastic head cover and a mask (which is very much required for cities with high pollution rate)Driver was polite and co-operative, and ride was very decent with mediocre speed. Services like SMS, tracking driver location, navigation, setting destination are provided for bike also.As OLA launched its service for free for first week. I didn't pay any money. But both OLA and Uber has already announced their rate cards. Ola, Uber launch bike taxi services in Bengaluru Bike I was given with is black pulsar [Sorry: didn't take any picture]Bike didn't had mirror, Ola should take care of this.Bike was not a white board bike, am pretty not sure about bike should have yellow board registration or not. Currently OLA Bike is removed from OLA mobile app.