Prepaid Taxi from Airport operated by Traffic police and Saavari cab services(Hyderabad)

Travelling in big Indian cities can often be expensive and stressful, especially when it comes to airport transfers. Recently, I had experiences in both Delhi and Hyderabad that made me realize how convenient and affordable government taxi services can be compared to private taxi brands.

When we travelled from the airport in Delhi to the railway station, we first enquired with several private taxi vendors about their fares. After comparing prices, we discovered that the government taxi service, Bharat Taxi, was the best option. It seemed genuine, reliable, and did not pinch our pocket.

The government taxi service(operated by Traffic Police) offered two types of fares — a cheaper non-AC option and a slightly more expensive AC option. Considering the heavy traffic and long travel time in Delhi, we found this system quite reasonable. The roads were tightly packed with vehicles, traffic jams were everywhere, and there were numerous traffic signals on the way. Our taxi driver was a decent and helpful person who guided us through Sardar Patel Road, which appeared like a long river meandering through the city, lined with government houses and buildings representing different states of India.

A similar experience happened when we arrived late at night at the airport in Hyderabad around 8:30 PM. Initially, we decided to hire taxis from branded private companies. However, their rates were sky-rocketing. Due to CNG cylinders occupying boot space, many of the smaller cars could not accommodate luggage properly. Although we were only three passengers, they insisted that we book a larger van, making the fare even more expensive.

Eventually, we chose the government taxi service instead. Even after adding an extra Rs. 50 toll charge, the fare was much lower than that quoted by the private taxi operators. What impressed me the most was the spacious sedan provided by the government taxi service. All three of our bags fit comfortably in the boot, and there was still ample space left.

These experiences taught me an important lesson: while travelling, it is wise to compare options carefully instead of immediately choosing branded services. The money saved on transportation can always be used for other important needs or enjoyable experiences during the journey. While travelling to the airport, it is often better to pre-book a cab through the Savaari cab service. It is reliable and transparent in pricing. Unlike many private taxi operators, they usually do not impose hidden charges or increase fares during heavy traffic or busy routes. The only condition is that the cab needs to be booked in advance. Proper pre-booking can save both money and last-minute stress during travel.

                                      https://www.savaari.com/

Supermarkets versus kiraana shops

Supermarkets versus kiraana shops

Business houses have taken our the supermarkets route to sell consumer goods and groceries taking on the small kiraana shops head-on. We have supermarkets selling everything – grocery items, vegetables/fruits, consumer electronics, clothes, etc. This trend has come from more developed countries where retail is big business and only supermarkets now exist with kiraana shops/ neighborhood shops vanishing completely. The discounts that the supermarkets offer cannot be given by the small shop owner as the supermarkets get special discounted rates from the product manufacturers and also have the advantage of larger scale. The can sell at lower rate and lower margin still earning profits.

For buying groceries the young Indians now go to a Reliance Mart, Spencers, More, Vishal Mart, Heritage fresh, Easy day etc. These stores come out with weekly offers giving discounts on many items and spend quite a bit on marketing as well. Consumers also find it more convenient as they step into a store, take a cart, checkout items from many manufactures and compare price, quality and other factors making a choice as per their requirements. There are big superstores like Hypercity, Reliance Megamart, More superstore, etc. In such stores even auto accessories, furniture etc are also available.

Kiraana shops are meant to work on a large scale. One has to wait till the shopkeeper or his assistance is catering to the other customer who has come before you, taking the list of items from them and adding the prices on a sheet of paper or a calculator. If the number of people who come to shop are large the wait time increases. Another inconvenient thing is that the customer does not get to choose and many a times kiraana shopkeeper is the one giving item from a particular manufacturer if that is only item available.

The era of supermarkets has arrived bringing in many benefits – convenient, choice amongst manufactures, price comparison, discounts, offers. One more benefit could be if you want you can walk for many hours in a superstore giving you good exercise help you shedding some weight.