| Roadway covers
possibilities of exploring India by Road. It explains the types of vehicles available for
self drive or with driver. Driving:
F ew people
bring their own vehicles to India. If you do decide to bring a car or motorcycle to India
it must be brought in under a carnet, a customs document guaranteeing its removal at the
end of your stay. Failing to do so will be very expensive. However driving in India
requires lot of patience because of extreme congestion in the cities and highways which
are always busy with trucks.
Rental: Self-drive
rental in India is not wide-spread, but it is possible. If you don't feel confident
about driving on Indian roads, or if self-driven rental is unavailable, it is easy to hire
a car and driver, either from the local station tourist authority or privately through
your hotel. By western standards the cost is quite low. In India you can get rental taxis,
for nationwide indicative rates refer Rental Rates. The oldest and reliable vehicle
available across India is Ambassador. However the other most popular vehicle in North
India and in Gujarat is Maruti-Van for which performance is good driving on hills with
very little maintenance and fast pick-up, however if not driven carefully, it is accident
prone. Jeep is the most common vehicle in Rajasthan. The deluxe versions of Jeep with
closed bodies vehicles are Toyota Qualis , Sumo, Armada  and Trax most commonly used in Western India as vehicles can accommodate more
people and very good pickup and stability. They are mainly plying on Mumbai-Pune,
Mumbai-Aurangabad, Mumbai- Nasik- Shirdi and Mumbai-Mahableshwar and interior
parts of Maharashtra.The other types of owner driven vehicles which are most common in
India are Maruti-800, Maruti-Esteem, Maruti-Zen. Other new vehicles are Fiat-Uno,
Deawoo-Cielo, Opel-Astra, Ford.
Fuel:Petrol
is expensive compared to the West and when compared  to the cost of living in India but diesel is much
cheaper. Petrol is usually readily available in all large towns and along the main
roads so there is no need to carry spare fuel.
Repairs and
Maintenance: In India, anyone who can handle a screwdriver and a spanner can be
called a Mechanic, so be careful. Also if you are getting repairs done by someone, don't
leave the premises while the work is being done or you may find that good parts have
ripped and replaced with old parts if your vehicle is new. Punctures are most common on
highway, however lot of puncture repair stalls are available on Indian Highways mainly
dominated by Keralites. |
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