Monday, April 17, 2017

Our Own Knight Bus

I have a sneaky suspicion. The Knight Bus... You know about it, right? The Knight Bus from Harry Potter. It is driven madly, making the wizards traveling by it fly around inside the bus or cling on to whatever for their dear life.


  • Hey, that's what Chennai autos do too! They swing you around and you cling to whatever you can to save your skin! If you protest, they go so slow that you wish you could ask them to speed up. But you don't because you don't know how fast is fast!

When the bus speeds and is hindered by two muggle vehicles ahead of it, does the driver slow down or put the breaks? No! He just squeezes in the space available.


  • But that's what happens to the auto too. In a physics-defying moment, an auto is able to squeeze in tight spots and come out unscathed!
It turns corners at the same speed and yet remains on its four wheels!

  • Bingo! You read it right. That sounds exactly like our auto, right? Nothing called - slow, wait and then turn - for the autos. They just turn and keep moving even as the vehicles coming straight down fly out of their paths!!!
The Knight Bus does not meet with any accidents!

  • I am glad I can say that about the autos too. Despite the crazy speed and the 'never-say-slow' attitude, the Chennai autos continue unscathed, getting on with its job of reaching you to your destination, not necessarily in one piece.
The stranded wizard just has to wave his wand and, presto! the Knight Bus will materialise.

  • You can wave your hand, you can press the right buttons in you Ola App, but no, unless your destination is right, the auto can leave you high and dry.
There is no payment, or maybe some standard payment. I don't remember.

  • It depends on the driver. For the joy ride and the near death experience, he will charge you some per cent over the meter, which is already tampered with. So hold on to your life and part with the currency...
Though there are these points of dissimilarities, I have a sneaky suspicion that the Knight Bus was inspired by our very own Chennai autos.



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