The Loud, The Proud, and The Distracted: Surviving Indian Cab Rides

Why Earplugs or Noise Cancelling Headphones Should Be Standard Issue for Every Cab Ride in India!

Every morning, I wage a war against my snooze button, fortified by sheer willpower and a misguided sense of duty. It’s not the daily grind of work that gets to me; it’s my daily ordeal of app-based cab rides through the dilapidated streets of urban India. Don’t get me wrong, summoning a ride with a tap on my phone is the stuff of dreams. But those dreams quickly turn into nightmares thanks to a particular breed of individuals: cab drivers who treat their phones like life-support machines.

They’re on calls perpetually, and if there were an Olympic event for loud conversations, these guys would clinch the gold without breaking a sweat.

Imagine this: a young introverted man, desperately yearning for peace in a world that’s loud enough to double as a heavy metal concert. That’s me. My cab rides are supposed to be mini-retreats – a chance to sip my chai in silence, catch up on reading, or gaze out of the window and let my thoughts drift. Instead, I’m subjected to a daily assault on my eardrums by drivers who share their life stories at full volume. And when I say full volume, I mean it. I’m pretty sure they could wake up people in a different time zone.

It starts the moment I get in. Before I can even buckle up, the driver’s phone rings. And it’s never just one call. No, it’s a relentless stream of epic sagas, complete with laughter, anger, and the kind of boisterousness that could wake the dead. These aren’t polite, hushed exchanges. They’re full-throttle, no-holds-barred, decibel-destroying conversations. And I’m the unwilling eavesdropper to discussions ranging from the mundane to the absurd: family feuds, cricket match analyses, and yes, even matrimonial arrangements. I’ve heard it all.

You’d think there’d be some entertainment value in this unfiltered glimpse into other people’s lives. Nope. It’s more intrusive than a pop-up ad in the middle of a Netflix binge. Personal space? Ha! To these drivers, the concept is as foreign as a unicorn in a suit. The mere presence of a passenger doesn’t warrant the courtesy of peace and quiet.

It’s like being trapped in a live soap opera with no mute button.

The volume of these conversations is another level of hell. It’s as if there’s an unspoken competition among cab drivers to see who can out-shout their phone’s speaker. My introverted soul withers with every blaring decibel. The irony of seeking solitude in a city famed for its ceaseless noise isn’t lost on me, but the cab ride – that small sanctuary – is now just another battleground in the war against unwanted social interaction.

Let’s talk about the sheer danger of it all. Distracted driving is a menace. When the driver is more engrossed in a heated debate about last night’s soap opera than the road, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Studies show that drivers distracted by phone conversations are as hazardous as drunk drivers. I’ve had my share of heart-stopping moments – abrupt swerves, near-misses, and the palpable dread every time the driver’s attention drifts mid-sentence.

Safety, it seems, is a secondary concern when there’s juicy gossip to share.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “This guy is ranting about noisy cab rides when there’s so much misery in the world?” Believe me, I get it. This does seem like a first-world problem in a world full of real issues. But if you’ve ever craved a moment of peace and found it shattered by a driver discussing his second cousin’s neighbor’s dog’s dietary habits, you’d understand.

This has led me to a drastic, terrifying notion: buying my own car. Yes, me – the guy who views driving as an unnecessary evil and would rather wrestle a bear than navigate the treacherous lanes of our fair city. But the thought of enduring another minute of a cab driver’s booming conversation is pushing me to the brink. At least in my own car, I could guarantee silence.

I could drive in peace, albeit begrudgingly. The irony is not lost on me.

Here I am, contemplating a significant investment and a drastic lifestyle change, all to escape the noise of my daily commute. It feels like a battle of wills, with my desire for solitude pitted against the relentless din of the world. My introverted heart aches for those quiet moments, those rare pockets of calm in our fast-paced lives.

I’m not asking for much. Just a bit of consideration from the cab drivers – a touch of empathy for those of us who find solace in silence. Perhaps a policy mandating hands-free devices and restricting phone usage to emergencies. Perhaps an awareness campaign highlighting the importance of a stress-free environment for passengers. Or maybe, just maybe, a miracle that makes these drivers realize their conversations aren’t the soundtrack to serenity.

Until then, I brace myself for each ride, steeling my nerves and clutching my sanity. The city will remain as loud and chaotic as ever, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that peace isn’t just the absence of noise – it’s the presence of calm within. If that means finding my calm amidst the storm of conversations about third-cousin weddings and grocery price inflation, so be it.

But mark my words, the day I find myself behind the wheel of my own car, it’ll be the quietest, most blissfully uneventful drive of my life.