Intercity taxi service uses private customer vehicles: New scam?

By the time the vehicle is delivered to the final destination, it has been through quite a handful of brutal drivers.

BHPian 2TR-FE recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

With the ever-increasing need for Auto logistics in our country, I felt the need to write this as an eye-opener for every individual planning to get his vehicle transported.

This was back in August 2023 when I had to visit Bengaluru for a day. Since it was an impromptu plan, the easiest way was to check available seats on Carpooling Apps. Consequently, I found a few riders, contacted them and finalized one. Interestingly, this particular rider was happy to accept my negotiation attempts which had been against my previous experience while carpooling. Also, he hadn't mentioned the make and model of the vehicle which was again a red flag.

However, I joined him within an hour at Aramgarh Cross Roads in Hyderabad. He was driving a silver-coloured 1st gen Maruti Swift Dzire whose condition reflected good maintenance by the owner. Once settled, the next red flag was to see his speedometer disconnected. His crazy driving further confirmed my belief that he was not the owner of this vehicle. Flying through crater-like speedbreakers at speeds north of 40 km/h was just making my heart cry for the car.

Observe the speedometer. In reality, he was showing the least amount of mercy towards the accelerator!

At a toll gate around Anantapur, we were waiting in the queue when the engine just died. He turns towards me with a grin and exclaims "Petrol Khatam!". This was the final nail in the coffin that made me burst on him. With a smile on his face, he opens the boot takes out 2 to 3 bottles of fuel and pours it in. This was actually to minimize the fuel cost for him.

The least amount of fuel is filled just to make sure the vehicle reaches the destination with a bone-dry tank and heavy pockets.

After a few hours into the drive and some long conversations, he revealed the dirty trade secrets of auto logistics which blew my mind.

Turns out, this particular vehicle is owned by an army official who has been transferred to some southern state in India. I could see the army-associated permits on the windshield. The vehicle has been given to some car transporter which is further handed over to agents like these. Since the transporting company couldn't arrange space on their trailer, they opted for these hacks as they had a deadline to meet.

These agents have a network across the country that handles particular sectors. By the time the vehicle is delivered to the final destination, it has been through quite a handful of brutal drivers. As far as the finances are concerned, the agent gets a significant amount from the transporting company for driving each section excluding fuel costs. Apart from this, the cash he gets from the car-pooling riders is an additional earning.

When I enquired about the companies involved, He mentioned some of the top players in this field.

Through this platform of T-BHP, I feel obligated to inform all car-loving citizens about these horrendous acts. Therefore, Stay safe and drive yourself!

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