BYoung4u2

We are planning to spend 3 days in New Delhi on our own following a 15 day tour of N. India. We will be in New Delhi for a couple of days at the beginning of our tour but based on comments from members of this site decided to take some more time at the end to do more shopping/site seeing etc. We have reservations at a B and B in the Nizamuddin East area. We are considering hiring a car and driver to help us get around as well as help with shopping etc. and would appreciate any suggestions/recommendations from anyone who has done this or knows of specific person/s we should contact. Also am curious as to what I should expect to pay for this service. Thanks to all of you for all the help, Bob

Cicerone

For a good reliable local car service in Delhi, contact Kumar Taxi Service. I found them through the Loney Planet guidebook several years ago. From my recollection the last time I used them, they charge about US$15 for an 8-hour day of touring within Delhi, so very affordable. The driver has a mobile and you can call him from the site when you are finished (they generally have to drive around or park elsewhere while you are in places like museums, etc.) I think most of their cars are Ambassadors (a fun way to see Delhi), but I think you can also get Toyota Qualis SUVs, not really necessary in Delhi, by paying a bit more. Send them an e-mail and they will give you a quote.

Kumar Tourist Taxi Service
14/1 K- Block
Connaught Circus
Tel: 91-11-2341-5390
Fax: 91-11-2341-8859
Cell: 91-98-1143-1783
e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.kumarindiatours.com/

BYoung4u2

Cicerone....thanks for the suggestion. I have sent them an e-mail with the information concerning what I need.
Bob

dgunbug

One traveler here noted that the tuk tuks were faster and easier to get around on than the taxis in Delhi. Any opinions out there?

Cicerone

For short distances, an auto rickshaw (they are only called tuk tuks in Thailand to the best of my knowledge) probably is faster because it can weave in and out of traffic. Two or three miles is probably the furthest distance for which this is true. However, for longer distances that would not be the case because the top speed of the auto rickshaw is less than a car. Also, I personally would not want to sit in one for a whole day of touring. There is no place to put anything, and at least I tend to spend a lot of time hanging on with one hand (while the other holds your purse or camera or shopping), as the auto rickshaw careers around corners, etc. Also, if it is raining, is very hot or very cold, I would not want to spend a lot of time in one. (I once took an auto rickshaw from the Imperial to the Crafts Museum by way of a mistake by the driver who first took me to Delhi stadium. This was in the late afternoon of a day in Feb. I was pretty cold by the end of that trip. ) I also would not want to be in one at night on many city streets, as the front headlamp of the auto rickshaws tend to be quite weak and either the driver can’t see too well or oncoming traffic can’t see <i>you</i> too well.

In smaller cities auto rickshaws can make more sense (esp Agra and Pondicherry which does not have as much street traffic), but for Delhi I think the disadvantages outweigh the cheaper cost except for short distances.

dgunbug

Thanks Cicerone - will have to reconsider the use of the auto rickshaw.

jules39

I agree with Cicerone that we used rickshaws for short quick trips. If you want to compare prices on cars/drivers we uses Yatrik.com (Click on my name for a trip report) We used them for more than Delhi but they have just arranged some "simple" car things for some friends of ours & they are very happy. We would definatley contact them for anything we wanted in India.
Have a great trip.
J