Travelling in Chennai can be very intimidating even to the most hardened of travelers.
The problem with the city is the autos, autos and autos. For budget travelers, I would recommend avoiding autos altogether. After spending my first semester in Chennai, I came back to Mumbai and felt sorry for the honest autowallahs here that I over-paid a couple of times. Chennai autowallahs are harshly discriminatory, not just on foreigners and Hindi-speaking travelers but also on Chennaiites who aren’t familiar with a particular locality. To give you a better idea-
*Actual fare: Rs.50
Foreign tourist pays: Rs.500
North-Indian tourist pays: Rs.300
Tamil-speaking tourist pays: Rs.150
Localite (North/South Indian/expat): Rs.100
(* - All figures are indicatory)
The best way to deal with the auto menace is to be-friend an autowallah and then stick to him. If this is not possible, collect the exact details of the place you are visiting, the average cost it takes to travel by auto and then practice your bargaining and negotiating skills.
The MTC bus service is good and fairly extensive. But at peak hours, the buses overflow with passengers hanging on to every piece of metal shard available, just like the trains of Mumbai. But make sure you carry the exact change. A few conductors take advantage if you don’t have change. A number of times, conductors pretend to forget that they owe you money. Once, I handed a 100-rupee note for Rs.7 ticket, I lost both my money and my cool at the immensely brutal manner of cheating.
Chennai suburban trains are by far the most hassle-free means to travel in Chennai.. One can easily get into these trains even in peak hours. The trains also offer a chance to appreciate beautiful sights of the city. The stretch near the airport and the Thiruvanmiyur railway stations are the best.
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