No doubt, its the quickest was to reach in the nick of the time to your office..your home..a function.. when there is no public transport! The problem is.. there are more issues to travelling by an auto then there are advantages!
First of all, its next to impossible to get an empty auto in the city of mumbai and if you still manage to plead a driver with your innocent looks you should think thats an angel hailed from heaven on a god-forbid road.
You don't get to reach on time whether there is traffic or not!!
Today i reached office by the same route that is usually so jam that i have to wait at the same signal for three times. But vulha! this time the signal spared me (yippee.. achievement!) and still the meter charges me the same (!@#$%)
You can not complain them of their screwed up meters as they think its the final judgement or the word of GOD. And if you found the guts to do, they will advice you instead to travel by the BEST buses.
You can not ask them to use their 4th gear on clear roads as they have almost forgotten that their darling ride has one. By chance you don't have change or If you request them to have a meter rate card, you will face Mr. mike of 'momento' or 'gajani' who thinks you are the murderer of their sweetheart.
They will enjoy at the rickshaw stand for hours chatting and mingling with their gang over a 'vada pav and chai get-together'. If you break their conversation and ask to take you to xyz place, they will give a 'no ways' look and say "ITna door tak kaun jayega vapis ane ka bhada nahi milta"(I wont get a return fare from that place which is like no-mans land)... thats acceptable.
Alright.. they are little weird but better then the ones in Pune. Really. I had been there recently and found that they charge you even beyond the expectation of their own meters, they are lazier and more pristine to take you on a tour !!! I feel I am in a better place anyways :P