 "Mumbai-based CEO pays Rs 100 for 500-metre ride in Bengaluru, shares grievances")
Bengaluru, popular for being an IT hub, is infamous for its traffic woes and extravagant costs levied by auto and cab drivers. Presenting a similar case, Mandar Natekar, CEO and co-founder of the Mumbai-based company NeuralGarage, expressed shock at the recent awakening during his visit to the start-up capital. Entrepreneur learned that auto-riders don’t charge fares according to meters. The CEO of the deep tech start-up took to Twitter to express his grievance after being charged Rs 100 for a mere 500-meter ride.
Calling it a Peak Bengaluru moment, Natekar posted a photo featuring the auto meter of the vehicle he travelled in. He jokingly called it the “most ornamental thing in Bengaluru.” He further added that it is ‘so expensive that it never gets used’, owing to its minimal use in the start-up city. Comparing the rates to Mumbai, he mentioned that an auto rider there charges Rs 100 for a meter fare measuring around 9 kilometers.
Check out Natekar’s Twitter post:
https://twitter.com/mandar2404/status/1682623655036215298
Uploaded a few days ago, the post has over 9,000 views.
Check out some of the responses below:
One user wrote: “Welcome to Namma Bengaluru.”
https://twitter.com/Shaileshg21/status/1682636561874300928
For the uninitiated, ‘Namma Bengaluru’ means ‘our Bangalore’ in Kannada.
Producer-actor Vijay Koshy, known for his shows College Romance and Hostel Daze, wrote: “It’s practically the same in every city outside Mumbai. Chennai is notorious for its auto rides."
https://twitter.com/vijaykoshy/status/1682627912326090752
In response, the CEO replied: “I find it ridiculous, but this highway robbery is not legitimate. No one bothers.”
https://twitter.com/mandar2404/status/1682631243748487171
“In Mumbai, you get an auto by meter. But the roads are in bad shape and there is so much traffic. Potholes on every road. If you travel long distances, you will definitely have back problems,” commented another.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTo which Natekar said: “The roads in Bengaluru are no different. Also, I prefer honest auto drivers who will take you anywhere you want, any day.”
https://twitter.com/mandar2404/status/1683520908877766656
Another user jokingly added to this saying: “Mandar, Bangalooreans have a digestion problem. They disagree.”
https://twitter.com/mahbrahm/status/1683690197718908928
The incident also attracted sarcastic comments, with some saying that Natekar should have walked instead. Others joked that he was lucky to even board the auto, as auto drivers in Bengaluru sometimes refuse passengers. A user added: ‘I stopped complaining about Delhi autos after my experience with their counterparts in Bangalore. They just don’t want to get anywhere.”
https://twitter.com/cgrover01/status/1683527923897348096
NeuralGarage hit headlines in 2022 for raising $1.45 million in a seed round led by Exfinity Ventures. The deep tech start-up is leveraging AI and Computer Vision to enable content creators to adapt to non-native viewers easily and improve content consumption.
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