Definitive info for getting from Delhi airport into city

monkgonemad

just found this great link:

http://www.purebhakti.com/parikramas...0Delhi%20Taxis

New Delhi Taxis

If you're not being met, and are headed for the train or a hotel (see below) then your first stop is the Delhi Traffic Police Prepaid Taxi Booth, which is located just outside and to the right of the door marked "Local Taxis" which is on your right as you exit the arrivals building. Taxis are available 24 hours a day. There used to be a huge crush of taxi wallahs to pounce on you immediately outside the arrivals door. Since then, they seem to have instituted a different system and no one should approach you before you get to the DTP booth. It may happen as it did before at certain times of the day, so be prepared. If you are at all in devotee dress they will surmise your destination "Hare Krishna! Vrindaban? Mathura? ISKCON ISKCON?". Ignore them and keep walking. The DTP booth exists because the Delhi taxi wallahs are inveterate liars and cheaters. By dealing ONLY with the DTP booth, you won't get cheated or taken someplace you don't want to go (like a hotel that will overcharge you massively and split the booty with the taxi driver). The closer you get to the DTP booth, the more taxi wallahs will want to take you (so they can prevent you from dealing with the DTP officer). Ignore everybody completely, wait your turn, and tell the DTP officer where you want to go and pay the fare, which is a fixed rate based on distance plus a small charge for extra bags. The details are on the DTP web site.

The way the prepaid arrangement works is you get a piece of paper from the DTP officer which you give to the driver when you reach the destination. Put the piece of paper in your pocket and don't take it out. Give it to the driver at the very end. Not before. No way. Uh Uh. No excuses. ("Oh you must give it to me now, tomorrow's a holiday, blah blah"). If you haven't made it to the taxi when this happens, stop in your tracks. If he doesn't immediately say "OK OK", then turn the luggage trolley around like you're going back to the booth, that will definitely cause him to say "OK OK" because the DTP has a strong mandate to protect tourists from being cheated. Drivers who are reported for cheating can be fined, beaten, and lose their license.

Stopping, saying nothing, looking cynical, shaking your head and saying "Nay" is a GREAT defensive tactic. It really makes you look like you know what you're doing, even if you don't have a clue.

When you arrive at the taxi, write down his taxi number on a piece of paper and make sure he sees you do it. Depending on the time of day, you may need a flashlight (torch) to do this with the appropriate flair. Read it out loud once or twice and don't explain why you're doing it. This act may save you from ending up at a different place than you want to be taken. Since you have his plate details, you can lodge a complaint with the Delhi Traffic Police. If somehow you don't end up where you want to be (his favorite hotel) or get told a pack of lies about riots, hotel full, hotel burned down, etc. then you can tell him "I have your taxi number and I will report you to the Traffic Police and they will beat you!" And they will, too. That will cause him to say "OK OK" and take you to the right place.

Updated
It seems that every year the Delhi Traffic police make it easier for tourists to deal with the taxi wallahs thought the information in the paragraphs above is still useful for dealing with taxis at other places and prepaid rickshaws all over Delhi, who are even more notorious than the taxi wallahs.

The current system at the airport is that they write the last four digits of taxi registration number on the prepaid receipt, making it very easy to trace any complaints. When you get the prepaid voucher, the DTP officer will tell you the taxi number. You then go to the taxi rank and find the right taxi. It will be somewhere near the front of the queue. Then match the number on the voucher to the license plate on the front of the taxi. When I arrived my number was "2060" which corresponded to a plate that was "DL 99 2060" or some such number. It took a minute to find the right taxi, since at about 3 AM they were not very alert. The taxi wallahs know their numbers and are able to assist you, just check the number on the front to be sure.


EATS Bus

(Someone wrote me to say "why don't you mention the EATS bus". OK, here it is)
If you are feeling adventurous (or cheap) there is also a bus to Connaught place and New Delhi Railway Station. It's called the "EATS Bus". EATS is short for Ex-Servicemen Air Link Transport Service. It runs every 30 minutes or so from 6:00 AM until 11:00 PM and costs only Rs. 50. Tickets can be purchased at a booth to your right as you leave the terminal. It's a blue and white bus and distinguishable from the ubiquitous and uniformly tatty green and yellow Delhi Transport Corporation buses. They both put down at Ajmer gate, which is on the side of the New Delhi Railway Station furthest from the ticket counter and Paharganj. Both buses also stop at the domestic airport, so it takes close to an hour (twice as long as the taxi) to get from point A to point B. The EATS bus also puts down next to Palika Bazaar in Connaught Place. According to one travel guide, there is also supposedly a scam where you may be forced to get down from the bus at Connaught place on the opposite side of the Indian Airline office. If you get down there you will be lucky to only have to pay waiting predatory autorickshaws Rs. 50 to complete your trip. If you go to the prepaid booth (on the opposite side of Palika Bazaar) you'll pay less, only Rs. 15, but they'll want to drop you off at the far end of the bazaar, opposite the railway station. If you have any baggage, that's pretty useless! So unless you're travelling really light and are going directly to the train, or are actually going to Connaught Place, it's not worth the trouble to save Rs. 150 ($3).

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monkgonemad

arrived alive in delhi. all the fuss about this is WAY overblown. here are some follow up pointers:

clear thru green line.

there will be a number of kiosks, bak of india has marginally better rate. i changed only

us50 and not more as i could not believe i could not get a better rate in town. rate was 42.85 omney changer rate is 43.30. it matters if you change big money!

proceed to the RIGHT, out the door. there is a 'delhi police stand INSIDE across from the state bak kiosk. it MAY be legit - i did not check into it, it did have the 'police seal'. ok as you go out the door - to the right are a few booths. you want delhi police and the signs are in yellow. the price is rps195 and dont let them keep the five roops!

now the challange - you have a ticket and a complaint card. DONT GIVE THESE TO THE DRIVER UNTIL YOU HAVE ARRIVED -UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE.

youll pull up to the cop and he will ask for the chit, YOu hand it to him and YOU take it back.

the wallah will attept to engage you in chit chat. say nothing, do not encourage chit-chat. ask no questions. give no replies.

the wallah asked my name. mark i replied...'good name' - well, WHY is that a good name?! he got the message and that was that dear friends. he was quiet the whole trip. no burnt down guest house, no all full. he shut up and drove.

i would also suggest if the guy is real chatty and annoying that you tell him you have rps20 fo rhim as a tip. youll deduct 1rps for every word he utters.

another is if the gh 'burnt down' - tell him you know, you burned it down and youll torch his car too so shut up and drive.

*dont sweat the airport thing. delhi has a tiny airport. btw - you are in NO hurry, collect your wits.

off to manalai - paharganghj - just dont like it.

peace out. monk.

Tashi

It also helps if you speak a little Hindi. I always have good conversations with taxi drivers and they never try to cheat me.

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