{ India Tours } -- { Delhi
Travel Guide } -- { Getting Around }
Getting Around
Delhi is large and congested, and the buses get hopelessly crowded. The alternative is a taxi, an autorickshaw or, for the truly brave, a bicycle. At the time of research, the first phase of construction of a metro system had commenced; the system is due for completion in 2005.
To/From the Airport
Although there are a number of options, air-port-to-city transport is not as straight- forward as it should be due to predatory taxi and autorickshaw drivers who target unwary first-time visitors.
Bus The Ex-Servicemen's Air Link Transport Service (EATS; t 3316530) has a regular bus service between the airport (both terminals) and its office near Indian Airlines in F-Block, Connaught Place, between 4 am and 11 pm. The fare is Rs 50 plus Rs 5 per large piece of luggage, and it will drop you off at most of the major hotels, and the Ajmeri Gate entrance to New Delhi train station (for Paharganj) en route.
When leaving the international terminal, the counter for the EATS bus is just to the right as you exit the building. This is probably the best, although not the quickest, way into the city if you arrive late at night (see the boxed text 'Dodgy Delhi' earlier in this chapter).
Taxi
What you want from the airport is not just a prepaid taxi, but the right prepaid taxi. Look for the Delhi Traffic Police Prepaid Taxi Booth outside the terminal entrance, where you'll get the lowest prices (Rs 170 to Paharganj). The others will try for much more. You will be given a voucher that you should give to the driver at your destination. At the domestic terminal, the taxi booking desk is just inside the terminal and charges Rs 120 to Paharganj, plus Rs 5 per bag. The taxi-wallahs outside will try for much more. Most accommodation and travel agencies can also arrange airport pick-ups and dropoffs although they charge a minimum of Rs 200 for the service. If you need to get to the airport in the early hours of the morning, arrange this the day before - get a receipt and ensure you know exactly where your pick-up point is.
Bus
Avoid buses during rush hour. Whenever possible try to board (and leave) at a starting or finishing point, such as the Regal and Plaza Cinemas in Connaught Place, as there is more chance of a seat. There are some seats reserved for women on the left-hand side of the bus. The Delhi Transport Corporation runs some buses, others are privately owned, but all operate along the same I set routes. Western embassies generally ad-vise their staff not to take buses; the White Line and Green Line buses are slightly more expensive and are thus a little less crowded. Private buses and minibuses also run on these routes. A short bus ride (such as Connaught Place to Red Fort) only about Rs 2.
Useful buses include the following:
Bus No 505 Super Bazaar or Janpath (from opposite The Imperial hotel) to the Qutb Minar
Bus No 101 Kashmiri Gate Inter State Bus Terminal to Connaught Place
Bus Nos 620 & 630 Connaught Place (from outside the Jantar Mantar) to Chanakyapuri
Bus Nos 101,104 & 139 Regal Cinema bus stand to the Red Fort.
Car
Given Delhi's mind-boggling traffic (six road deaths per day on average), it's better to not drive.
If you must rent a self-drive car, try Avis (T 4304027, crs@avisdel.com) in The Oberoi on Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, or Budget (t 3354772, bracindia@hotmail.com) at 82 Janpath and the New Delhi train station (t 3232725).
Motorcycle
If you are in the market for a shiny new Enfield motorcycle or anything else bike related, go to Karol Bagh. Try either Madaan Motors (a 5735801, fax 5755812, madaanmotors@yahoo.com) at 1767/53 Naiwala Gali, Har Kishan Das Rd, or Inder Motors (t 5728579, fax 5781052, lalli@ndf.vsnl.net.in), 1740/55 Hari SinghNalwa St. Both also hire bikes from Rs 200 to 400 per day.
Taxi & Autorickshaw
All taxis and autorickshaws are metered but the meters are invariably out of date, allegedly 'not working' or the drivers will simply refuse to use them.
If you're anywhere near Connaught Place and need an autorickshaw, pick one up from the very useful prepaid booth near Palika Bazaar. Otherwise, you'll need to negotiate a price before you set out and this will always be more than it should be.
At the end of a metered journey you will have to pay according to a perversely complicated scale of revised charges (there are separate charts for recalibrated and unrecalibrated meters). Drivers are supposed to
Rickshaws, both auto- and pedal-powered, navigate Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk.
carry conversion cards but if you demand to see one, strangely enough they won't be able to find it. At the time of research the formula to work out metered fares for taxis was to multiply the metered fare by five then add Rs 3.50; for autorickshaws multiply by 2.5 then add Rs 3. The fare charts are printed in the Delhi City Guide (Rs 15, available from newsagents). If you have a chart, pay what you think is the right price and leave it at that. Rest assured that no one is going to be out of pocket, except yourself, despite hurt or angry protestations to the contrary.
Connaught Place to the Red Fort should cost around Rs 60 by taxi or Rs 30 by autorickshaw, although the traffic jams can make this a long trip. From Connaught Place to Paharganj should cost about Rs according to the meter system, but Rs seems to be the standard minimum fare for foreigners. About Rs 30 is fair for an autorickshaw from Connaught Place to Humayun's tomb.
From 11 pm to 5 am there is a 20% surcharge for autorickshaws and 25% for tax"
If you're on your own at night make a show of writing down the licence plate number before setting off.
You will no doubt be asked if you want to go shopping (the driver will insist that 'just looking' is OK), as drivers get paid (Rs 200 is standard) just for taking foreigners to stores - even if you don't purchase anything. You could arrange with your driver to make a show of looking around a few shops and in return get your sightseeing for free, although the hard-sell tactics at the shops can wear you down. To hire a taxi for eight hours should cost around Rs 450,
though the driver will expect a tip (around Rs 100).
Bicycle & Cycle-Rickshaw
Although traffic and pollution are dreadful in Old Delhi and around Connaught Place, the bicycle is one way of getting around the sights to the south, though cyclists are an oppressed caste on Delhi's roads. There are very few places to hire bikes. In Paharganj, there's a small cycle hire shop near Rajguru Rd. Jhandewallan Market in Karol Bagh is India's largest bicycle market, however, with domestic and international bikes and spares for sale.
Cycle-rickshaws are banned from the Connaught Place area and New Delhi itself, but they can be handy for travelling between Connaught Circus and Paharganj, for around Rs 10.
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