4 ms·

Monthly salary of a driver is atleast 10k INR ~ 154$, Your friends are eating at a place that costs 2500 INR per head? That's not a decent restaurant meal, tha

Monthly salary of a driver is atleast 10k INR ~ 154$, Your friends are eating at a place that costs 2500 INR per head? That's not a decent restaurant meal, that's a lavish restaurant. I would say 200 INR gets you a decent restaurant meal.

geodel 9y ago
I was trying to show extremities of India. 2500 per head is not really much if some drinks are added. I am glad that you did not go all the way to politician Raj Babbar who claimed for 10 INR you can get a full meal any where in India.
- rohit2412 9y ago
  Yes, there are extremities in India. Food is a bigger pie of the income than what typical western population is accustomed to. But this was over exaggeration. Raj Babbar definitely went too far, but 30-40 INR is enough to find a meal (Even the article corroborates these numbers). Don't expect fine dining and mineral water though.
1024core 9y ago
I'll counter your anecdata with mine. I usually take Uber in India, and often ask the driver about his work, how much he makes, etc. This is for a North-Indian Tier-2 city. The answer usually is that he makes INR 6000/month. Now, I have eaten in middling restaurants where a meal for 2 came to INR 2500. In fact, I've been to cafes where a "meal" of tea, snacks, etc. alone came to over INR 700/pp. You would be hard pressed to get a decent meal in a clean, hygenic and modern restaurant for INR 200 anywhere in North India.
- piyushpr134 9y ago
  Uber guy earning INR6000/month! Man you have been conned hard. An Ola/Uber guy earn something like INR35-50K per month after all fuel and car expenses. No one would work for 6K/month even in tier 3 cities for Ola/Uber. In fact there were days when drivers were earning (due to incentives) about 6K (revenue) per day in cities like Delhi and Bangalore
  - snambi 9y ago
    makes sense. it is easy to make money when the passengers feel for the driver's hard life. :)
    - 1024core 9y ago
      But there's no "tip" system in Uber, and they had nothing to gain from it (and they didn't gain anything either). So, to what purpose? I recommend asking the drivers yourselves.
  - 1024core 9y ago
    Several of the Uber guys I spoke with were actually drivers of some rich businessmen; they were told to Uber during the times they were not needed. A couple of them were "for hire" drivers, being paid a flat INR 200/day to operate the car for 10 hours/day. I don't know why they'd be conning me, and so many of them too, unless there's a "driver mafia" out to fool the public about .... what their driver makes?? Doesn't pass Occam's test.
    - kamaal 9y ago
      >>A couple of them were "for hire" drivers Most of them are that way. Most cops are into this business, its getting impossible to invest black cash in a meaningful way. There are now capital controls in every investment. Want to buy gold, land, mutual funds, whatever? Get ready to submit you PAN and Aadhar. So they can't spend money that way. At very same time, they can't sit on cash, because inflation. They generally buy the vehicle in a relative's name, with black cash(Huge second hand market for this). And do this cab business. Most drivers are poor ex-farm workers. So they take whatever they get. The last time I heard from a auto rickshaw driver, more or less every cop in Bangalore has something like this going.
  - kamaal 9y ago
    Early days in all these kind of schemes are good. These days drivers don't make much. There is a wild rush to get your cab listed or attached to some BigCo transport, because you get paid better, plus guaranteed business. Also note most people driving for Uber/Ola are cabs from black money sources. Most government employees now buy cabs and auto rickshaws and do this business, as avenues for spending black money are drying out. So at the end cab driver makes less money. Most Uber/Ola business in Bangalore is around IT parks, Malls etc. Where there is a lot of traffic during peak hours, and you can't do more than one trip in the morning.
- rohit2412 9y ago
  > In fact, I've been to cafes where a "meal" of tea, snacks, etc. alone came to over INR 700/pp. I've been to restaurants where the expense (including drinks) was 5k per head. One of the companies during placements took new hires out for dinner, the bill was 12k per head. I've been to places in USA where the bill was 200$ per head. This isn't a "decent meal". > You would be hard pressed to get a decent meal in a clean, hygenic and modern restaurant for INR 200 anywhere in North India. I can suggest dozens of places in Chandigarh and Delhi. Even McDonalds, Dominoes would cost less than 200 per head. And those are considered a decent place in India.
  - kamaal 9y ago
    A decent veg burger, with fries costs around 50 rupees in Burger King, in Bangalore. Or you could eat at Darshinis, and they serve Indian meals(Rice, Sambar, Some friend snack, banana) at more or less the same price.
- devdas 9y ago
  It's not that hard. A meal without alcohol? Easy.
snambi 9y ago
You can get a decent healthy food for anywhere from 50 INR to 100 INR. However, the govt public-distribution-system is highly subsidized, that is how many people get their food. Also temples and charities offer free food.
kamaal 9y ago
>>I would say 200 INR gets you a decent restaurant meal. 200 INR too is expensive. Even with a programmer's salary I wouldn't spend that money on one single meal. Most people who have a need to spend that much are better off carrying their lunch. It would cost you 1/8th of that, plus home cooked food means healthy food in general.
- rohit2412 9y ago
  I know, we were discussing "decent" restaurant meal. I think any place that charges 200 would give you a decent meal. Can't say the same for 100 though.

geodel 9y ago

I was trying to show extremities of India. 2500 per head is not really much if some drinks are added. I am glad that you did not go all the way to politician Raj Babbar who claimed for 10 INR you can get a full meal any where in India.

rohit2412 9y ago
Yes, there are extremities in India. Food is a bigger pie of the income than what typical western population is accustomed to. But this was over exaggeration. Raj Babbar definitely went too far, but 30-40 INR is enough to find a meal (Even the article corroborates these numbers). Don't expect fine dining and mineral water though.

1024core 9y ago

I'll counter your anecdata with mine. I usually take Uber in India, and often ask the driver about his work, how much he makes, etc. This is for a North-Indian Tier-2 city. The answer usually is that he makes INR 6000/month. Now, I have eaten in middling restaurants where a meal for 2 came to INR 2500. In fact, I've been to cafes where a "meal" of tea, snacks, etc. alone came to over INR 700/pp. You would be hard pressed to get a decent meal in a clean, hygenic and modern restaurant for INR 200 anywhere in North India.

piyushpr134 9y ago
Uber guy earning INR6000/month! Man you have been conned hard. An Ola/Uber guy earn something like INR35-50K per month after all fuel and car expenses. No one would work for 6K/month even in tier 3 cities for Ola/Uber. In fact there were days when drivers were earning (due to incentives) about 6K (revenue) per day in cities like Delhi and Bangalore
- snambi 9y ago
  makes sense. it is easy to make money when the passengers feel for the driver's hard life. :)
  - 1024core 9y ago
    But there's no "tip" system in Uber, and they had nothing to gain from it (and they didn't gain anything either). So, to what purpose? I recommend asking the drivers yourselves.
- 1024core 9y ago
  Several of the Uber guys I spoke with were actually drivers of some rich businessmen; they were told to Uber during the times they were not needed. A couple of them were "for hire" drivers, being paid a flat INR 200/day to operate the car for 10 hours/day. I don't know why they'd be conning me, and so many of them too, unless there's a "driver mafia" out to fool the public about .... what their driver makes?? Doesn't pass Occam's test.
  - kamaal 9y ago
    >>A couple of them were "for hire" drivers Most of them are that way. Most cops are into this business, its getting impossible to invest black cash in a meaningful way. There are now capital controls in every investment. Want to buy gold, land, mutual funds, whatever? Get ready to submit you PAN and Aadhar. So they can't spend money that way. At very same time, they can't sit on cash, because inflation. They generally buy the vehicle in a relative's name, with black cash(Huge second hand market for this). And do this cab business. Most drivers are poor ex-farm workers. So they take whatever they get. The last time I heard from a auto rickshaw driver, more or less every cop in Bangalore has something like this going.
- kamaal 9y ago
  Early days in all these kind of schemes are good. These days drivers don't make much. There is a wild rush to get your cab listed or attached to some BigCo transport, because you get paid better, plus guaranteed business. Also note most people driving for Uber/Ola are cabs from black money sources. Most government employees now buy cabs and auto rickshaws and do this business, as avenues for spending black money are drying out. So at the end cab driver makes less money. Most Uber/Ola business in Bangalore is around IT parks, Malls etc. Where there is a lot of traffic during peak hours, and you can't do more than one trip in the morning.
rohit2412 9y ago
> In fact, I've been to cafes where a "meal" of tea, snacks, etc. alone came to over INR 700/pp. I've been to restaurants where the expense (including drinks) was 5k per head. One of the companies during placements took new hires out for dinner, the bill was 12k per head. I've been to places in USA where the bill was 200$ per head. This isn't a "decent meal". > You would be hard pressed to get a decent meal in a clean, hygenic and modern restaurant for INR 200 anywhere in North India. I can suggest dozens of places in Chandigarh and Delhi. Even McDonalds, Dominoes would cost less than 200 per head. And those are considered a decent place in India.
- kamaal 9y ago
  A decent veg burger, with fries costs around 50 rupees in Burger King, in Bangalore. Or you could eat at Darshinis, and they serve Indian meals(Rice, Sambar, Some friend snack, banana) at more or less the same price.
devdas 9y ago
It's not that hard. A meal without alcohol? Easy.

snambi 9y ago

You can get a decent healthy food for anywhere from 50 INR to 100 INR. However, the govt public-distribution-system is highly subsidized, that is how many people get their food. Also temples and charities offer free food.

kamaal 9y ago

>>I would say 200 INR gets you a decent restaurant meal. 200 INR too is expensive. Even with a programmer's salary I wouldn't spend that money on one single meal. Most people who have a need to spend that much are better off carrying their lunch. It would cost you 1/8th of that, plus home cooked food means healthy food in general.

rohit2412 9y ago
I know, we were discussing "decent" restaurant meal. I think any place that charges 200 would give you a decent meal. Can't say the same for 100 though.