Private driver in Delhi. Worth it?

We (my two friends and I) will be in Delhi in a few weeks and want to see Jaipur, Agra and some of the surrounding area. We thought about getting a car with a private driver. Our only concern is that the driver will take us to places he will received commision at, rather than places we want to go. We only have a week in the area. We were looking at Kalka Travels (www.real-india.com).

Does any one have any good or bad experiences of private drivers?

If you have a private driver he will only take you to places you have asked (and paid) for.

The whole bit about drivers taking you to places where they will get a commission is limited to taxis and isn't as big a deal as people make out. If you don't want to go somewhere, don't go--no matter who's driving you.

I have hired private drivers in delhi alot and always I have had a good experience. The first time, maybe less positive than the other times...just be really clear about where you want to go and agree on the price, etc before you start. If this is your first india trip- try to avoid looking like a "deer in headlights" all the time and you probably won't get taken abvantage of.
Whenever I have a driver (or anyone else) suggest going to a store to look at pashima shalls, I can not help but bust out laughing and tease them for for it. Remember, they are people who are just trying to make a living.

oh, and have fun!

We hired a driver through our Delhi hotel. It will be a one week trip to Mathura & environs, Agra and Jaipur. The hotel and everything is paid for.
But do we pay for his meals?
Do we eat with him?
What kind of tip do we give at the end?
Thanks

batalie -
Do you want the driver JUST for Delhi? Or to get you to Jaipur, Agra etc?
In Delhi itself you should be able to do fine on your own - using the metro, autorickshaws, taxis or just walking.

We can recommend a great company in Delhi from which to hire car and driver if you want. Just PM us and we'll give you the info.

proxyindian -
"...everything is paid for" - what is everything?
There are a few great threads here discussing tipping drivers - read them.
Meals and eating with, it all depends. On our last trip in the south, we had the best ever driver and we wanted to eat with him and pay for his meals occasionally - he was a wealth of info and a pleasure to chat with.
On the other hand, the driver may want a break from you and want to eat alone.

Be clear with the hire company.

If we hire a car here we expect to pay for meals, if it is over lunchtime or dinner. Here in Chennai 20 or 30 Rs is enough for that. The "tourist package" is more likely to be all-inclusive.

Except for the driver's tip of course...

If you go overnight with a driver, he will usually keep the stipend for accomodation and sleep in the car. Many hotels have areas for this with showers and meals (and don't ask what else) for them.

We paid a bit less than 35 euros per day all inn for an AC Ambassador with (great) driver. What would be the price in North India (or what did you pay Anneke?)

Hans

Make it public so everybody can see it, i don't think I need a driver, but I'll add any good lead to my address book

Fess up, who is Delhi's best driver?

It depends on the rate, but at the current rate it's a bit less, at last february's rate it's a bit more.

Happy travels,

Hans

Swagatam Tours and Travels Limited
tel: 91 11 25744500
email: operations@swagatamtour.com OR sales@swagatamtour.com
web: www.swagatam.com

Swagatam have provided us with excellent drivers to and from the Delhi airport and throughout Rajasthan, the north and the south. Mostly we use autorickshaws and metro in Delhi itself, so we don't know about Delhi's very best driver. But we do know about the very, very best driver in the world: he's in the south based at Swagatam's Chennai office.

Let us know if you want more info.

Thank you sir my rolodex, well OK, my notebook is growimg

Nick -

Do you always use the same driver and/or company in Chennai? Which one?

No. There is one big (National, I think) company, City Limozines, and their prices are very competative, but usually need booking at least 24 hours in advance. No good if you want a car for half an hour's time!

We have several local companies, phone numbers gleaned from boards outside their offices.

In Chennai there is the Call Taxi thing too. Available for metered trips, or a fixed number of hours package. I don't know why, but we've not really explored this option much.

99.9% of our trips are auto trips.