Using GPS to catch tampered rickshaw meters (Updated)

tejvan - 20-MAY-2010

I always carry my trusty GPS whenever I head to places I haven't been to. It helps me to quickly locate a place and I don't have to ask for directions. I dont have a vehicle and so I invariably take rickshaws for trips within the city. The infuriating thing about rickshaws is that their meters are frequently tampered with. Yes, even the digital ones.

Yesterday I was heading out to Vasant Nagar in an autorickshaw and carried my GPS with me. The GPS has an odometer which measures distance covered to a very high accuracy. The rickshaw had a "PERFECT" digital meter (model A-786). I quickly realized that it had been tampered since it indicated 2 kms when the actual distance covered was only 1.5 km. I watched as the gap between the GPS reading and the rickshaw meter reading gradually widened. Towards the end of the trip, the rickshaw meter was off by more than 2 kms and still growing.  

Renewing DL at the RTO without touts/bribes

s_yajaman - 8-APR-2010

 My wife and I went yesterday to the Indiranagar RTO to renew her DL.  As soon as we stepped into "the zone" there were touts offering help.  We, of course, ignored them and walked up to the RTO.  

As we walked up we realized that my wife's DL said "RTO BNG CENTRAL" (Koramangala) and we wondered what trouble that would mean.  But we decided to check anyway.

There was a helpdesk there.  It was operational.  We asked the lady there if we could renew the license here.  She gave us the forms and asked us to check at Window 3 if it was possible.  We also realized there was a medical fitness certificate (completely in Kannada) to be got from a doctor.

At Window 3 there was a reasonably helpful lady.  She told my wife that it was possible to do it there.  She confirmed if the address remained unchanged.  She asked us to write a letter requesting that the license be renewed there.   

We paid the Rs.250 fee at the cash counter and my wife went to get her MC done.

Best solution to namma trafficu!

mcadambi - 3-FEB-2010

 Recently the Govt of India has constituted the Kirit Parikh Committee to deregulate prices of petroleum products (diesel, petrol, kerosene, LPG).

Congestion charging on arterial corridors of Bangalore?

idontspam - 16-DEC-2009

* Yes, right away * No, Never * Yes, but after Public Transport is more pervasive * Dont care either way

Vehicle proliferation control

idontspam - 16-DEC-2009

Seeking a restrictive policy on the registration of vehicles

RTO - pulls & pressures

idontspam - 4-DEC-2009

Source

Auto Issues

rs - 28-OCT-2009

In todays Wall Street journal there was an article on the fact that the old cabbies in Bombay are beating up Meru Cab drivers because people prefer to take Meru cabs -

online.wsj.com/article/SB125668745618111751.html

Free Helmet....

gopi - 12-OCT-2009

One of the ammendments in the year 2005 to the The Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 says  

Responsible corporate policy on taxi drives

s_yajaman - 26-SEP-2009

Last couple of days was in Khandala giving a lecture to one of the big banks on supply chain management.  Won't disclose their name for obvious reasons.

Cyclothon in bangalore

vinod_shankar - 10-SEP-2009

In the last week or so i have been observing full page ads about a cyclothon in bangalore sometime on october.  Seems interesting, atleast finally the need for encouraging cycling has been realized.  More details about the event can be found  here.  We should use this as a push for bicyc