How Mumbaikars grapple with the challenges of commuting during the pandemic

A little less than a year ago Mumbai went under lockdown due to the Covid19 pandemic and local trains the cityrsquos most favoured mode of transport also ground to a haltNot only are Mumbai locals a cheap way to commute they also offer the best connectivity in this mostly linear city so it is no surprise that the iterant restrictions on travelling by them proved quite a challenge for the cityrsquos denizensWhile many Mumbaikars still work from home there are several others who donrsquot have the luxury and have been returning to work at their offices over the last few months When they were barred from using the locals commuters took to the roads which is an expensive and timeconsuming way to get to workMost people have to resort to multimodal transport which most often than not does not include local trains which still have certain restrictions Using a combination of a bus autorickshaw and even the metro commuting in Mumbai is getting more tedious than before For those who can afford Uber and Ola to travel to their workplaces their daily expenses have skyrocketed because they pay a premium to simply avoid crowdsCryselle Drsquosouza a Prabhadevibased education professional used to commute by train metro and autorickshaw earlier to reach her office in Andheri One year later what used to be an affordable commute is no longer so ldquoWith the rise in the number of Covid19 cases I have to use cab services and while that was not necessary earlier because I used public transport I pay more than INR 300 one way now and that is not feasible for me Luckily I do not have to travel that often but when I am asked to commute regularly it is going to burn a hole in my pocketrdquo Virarbased Fouzia Bukhari has different concerns but is also hopeful for the near future The advertising professional does not have to travel to work often but when she does it is by train Bukhari is thankful that the crowds have reduced but says there are many people who are still not taking the pandemic and its risks seriously ndash she says many people donrsquot wear masks on the local trains ldquoWhen the trains were shut it got difficult because Uber and Ola were the only options A lot of people started taking buses too However due to people shifting to roadways there is a big traffic issuerdquo she says adding that it has become easier now that the trains have started for a few hours so that people are able to plan their travel accordinglyOn the flip side even as burdened commuters are taking more autorickshaws auto drivers complain that passengers constantly bargain with them more so since the basic fare in Mumbai has recently gone up Dwarka Chaurasia who drives an autorickshaw in north Mumbai says things get really hard for him especially when people bargain because it is not affordable for drivers anymore He says the situation has degenerated into a tugofwar between commuter and auto driversldquoFirstly there is a restriction on the number of people we can take we are also hit by rising fuel prices So it becomes difficult when people bargain with us in a sharing rickshaw as we have to cover the cost with no guarantee of getting a passenger especially early in the morningsrdquo says Chaurasia who did not earn much last year He says he only hopes things will get better but is weary of another lockdown being announced in the city because of the rise in the number of casesIt is no different for Rajesh Pandey another autorickshaw driver in Mumbai Pandeyrsquos earnings also took a steep hit last year yet he says he is happy with how much he earns now and considers his profession a blessing rather than choosing to complain about itldquoI did not earn much the last year and the high fuel prices arenrsquot helping either but I am able to earn as much as I can so we will have to just take what we get from now onrdquo Pandey says The proud father has pinned his hopes on his son who is currently pursuing a computer course Maybe the latterrsquos education will help change the familyrsquos fortunes he says