Free Wi-Fi, magazines: Auto driver offers a ride to remember

CHENNAI: He may not be Basha, but he’s certainly a King of Cool if ever a Chennai autorickshaw driver was.
Annadurai, 28, drives a share autorickshaw that looks like any other share auto in the city. But customers, who travel by Annadurai’s auto between Thiruvanmiyur bus terminus and Sholinganallur, know that it is anything but.
The vehicle is Wi-Fi enabled and, if you’re not carrying a laptop or smartphone to connect to the internet, Annadurai will slip you a 10-inch tablet.He carries an internet dongle attached to a Wi-Fi router and offers free access to the internet. “Most people who take my auto work for IT companies and I know access to the internet is important for them,” Annadurai says. “It takes about half an hour to cover the distance between Thiruvanmiyur and Sholinganallur. Why waste that time?”
The auto also has stacks for magazines and newspapers that contain the latest editions. Annadurai spends 4,000 a month on subscriptions to 35 publications. There are dailies for the customers who need to keep up on the news, weekly magazines for passengers who are taking a long ride, and glossy fortnightlies for those interested in lighter reading.
Then there are the offers. Annadurai gives free rides to children on Children’s Day, free rides to mothers (accompanied by their children) on Mothers Day, free rides to couples on Valentine’s Day and free rides to women on Women’s Day. On September 15, his birthday, customers get a 50% discount.
Annadurai spends more than 5,000 to give his customers an auto ride like no other in the city, yet makes a good living, taking home a profit of around 1,000 a day. “That is more than enough for a bachelor like me,” he says. “I drive from 8am to 1pm and from 5pm to 11pm,” he says. He charges 15 for the 11km route he covers, while other share auto drivers demand 20 for the same distance. “Money really isn’t too important to me,” he says. “What gives me pleasure is that people remember me and are grateful for the service I offer,” he said.
An amused commuter, Trisha Mahajan, a journalism student, has made a short film on him and put it on YouTube. The video had close to 1 lakh views in a week.