Most of us don’t carry around flattering opinions about auto drivers. Because we have been fleeced by some of them. Also because, many are reluctant to turn on the meters.
D. J. Devadass will force you to change these opinions.
He operates from Motilal Street (Auto-Stand), and Mahalakshmi Street, T. Nagar. He began to drive the autorickshaw for a living in 1988 and has won many hearts. The passengers with whom he has forged a friendship call him by a nick-name, ‘Adithya’.
“ I am generally polite in nature, and behave with courtesy towards my passengers. Everything depends on how we conduct ourselves in front of others,” Adithya says.
He says he doesn’t talk much. “I prefer to remain quiet. I strike up conversations only with well-known passengers.”
He has great loyalty towards his old passengers. “I do not accept long trips, because I am frequently called by my old passengers,” he points out.
Residents of Motilal Street, T. Nagar, say, he never over-charges and operates only by the meter.
Another factor that has endeared him to his passengers: he never demands waiting charges and leaves it to his passengers, residents say.
“Driving an auto for more than 20 years, he knows every nook and corner of the city. He takes ‘short-cuts’, thereby saving fuel for himself, and money for his passengers,” says V. S. Jayaraman, a resident of Motilal Street.
“I was driving a rented auto till 2010, when residents of Mahalakshmi Street, R. Rangarajan, Raghunath, and Usha Prakash lent me money to buy one. I will always be grateful for their timely help,” he says.
Asked if the new tariff system has had an impact on his earnings, he says, “As I do not have any commitments, I don’t feel the heat. Some days, riding long distances in the city and coming back to the stand empty on the return trip makes things difficult. But, I have never sulked. Secondly, I get called often by my regular passengers. ”
A native of Puttur in Mangalore, Devadoss lives with his wife, D. Malliga Devadoss, on Bajanai Koil Street, Kannampet, T. Nagar. He can be contacted at 9840252923.
