💬 Do you say thank you to auto drivers?

I say thank you every time I get out of an auto. Every time, even when the ride was bad. My cousin thinks it's silly. Last week we shared an auto and she paid 140 and walked off. The driver looked at me, since I was still in the back seat gathering my bags, and said, she didn't even look back. Not angry. He just said it flatly, like he'd been collecting these for years. Argument at home. My father says drivers don't care, it's a transaction, you pay the fare and that's the end. He may be right. Some drivers look at me like I'm odd when I say it. One man in Uppal said, what for? I said, for driving. He said, that's my job. Fair, I suppose. I said it anyway and he grinned a little. That's all I wanted. The ones who talk back are the best. A driver near Nampally told me his son is studying medicine in Kurnool. He drives 12 hours a day for it. He said nobody in the back seat had asked him anything in a month. I asked what his son's favourite subject was. He talked for the whole 25 minutes. I got out and said thanks. He said thank you back, and it sounded like he meant it. My cousin still thinks I'm putting on a show. Maybe. It costs me about 1 second. I do it because I'd feel rude otherwise. Whether it changes anyone's day, I can't tell. Most drivers don't react at all. Maybe 1 in 10 smiles. I'll take that. Do you say it or just pay and go? My father won't budge, so I need allies.

A flat she did not even look back is the saddest line a driver can say. I always say thank you too. Once a driver in Secunderabad refused 20 rupees extra and said the thank you was worth more.

Agree. It's a small thing, but drivers notice even if they don't say anything back. My auto guy for the school run, Raju, told me once that most people get out and walk off without a word. I've said thank you every morning for 3 years. Last month he waited 10 minutes for my late son, no extra charge. I don't think that part is a coincidence, to be honest.