Satyawan Gite’s auto rickshaw doesn’t look like much from the outside. Yellow and black like thousands of others crawling through Mumbai’s streets. But once you sit inside, you realize this isn’t just a ride from Andheri to Bandra. It’s become something else entirely, a mobile home, a makeshift clinic, and apparently, an occasional concert venue.His auto is equipped with facilities ranging from a wash basin and mobile phone charging to things most passengers never expect from a three-wheeler. But the real story isn’t about the novelty. It’s about why he’s doing it, and how it’s actually changing people’s experience of commuting in this city.“You can charge your phone in my auto, there is purified drinking water, there is a wash basin. I also don’t charge senior citizens for rides up to 1 km. The reason I did this is because I wanted to provide better services to passengers,” he had told ANI in 2019. When years later, TOI spoke to Gite, there were certain upgrades. “I have kept peanuts and jaggery in small bottles for the people. It’s all healthy. I don’t charge a single penny for this. It’s for my passengers. At times people face issues with heat, BP and these things help them. There is also a fan which helps people beat the heat. I have also kept a small dustbin so nobody throws the garbage on the roads. There is also a nail cutter which promotes good health,” he told us. He’s noticed something over years of driving the same routes, people get exhausted, their blood pressure drops during long journeys, the heat gets to them. Instead of assuming they’ll handle it, he handles it. He’s also installed a fan because monsoon season turns his auto into a sweatbox, and passengers who are already tired need relief. There’s a small dustbin too, because he’s watched people toss garbage onto Mumbai’s streets for long enough. A nail cutter sits in there somewhere because he figures good hygiene matters even in a rickshaw.
Three diaries full of proof
The thing that actually matters is what Gite has collected in three diaries. “People always appreciate me. I now have three diaries which are filled with compliments and people always remember me,” says Gite. In Mumbai, where commutes are typically forgettable and often unpleasant, people remember him. When you’re operating in an industry where the default experience is crowded, uncomfortable, and impersonal, being someone people actively seek out says something.
Over the years, some of his passengers have included actors Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar. “Twinkle Khanna had called me home and also greeted me. She told her team to call me home and then she said itna acha rickshaw hai. Then she called Akshay Kumar and showed my auto. Akshay Kumar also sat in my auto and it was such an inspiring thing to see,” Gite said.
The safety thing
When asked about safety for women passengers, Gite says he makes sure they’re dropped at the right place. He doesn’t charge them extra. If they’re happy and they want to tip, that’s their choice. “We take care of things in a way that everyone feels safe. I ensure I drop girls at the right place and never charge extra from anyone. If they are happy and they tip it’s a different thing but I never ask for extra charges,” he said.Not just Mumbaikars, foreigners and tourists have been his fan as well. “Foreigners have also sat in my auto. They click pictures in auto and always tell me ‘very nice’. They are surprised. They also take selfies,” he said. In a city where people complain constantly about service quality, Gite’s apparently just been providing it. That’s not a business innovation. That’s just how things work.
