Indiers per trein: wie vind je in A/C of SL?

Hieronder een berichtje dat ik vond op een ander discussieforum. Het gaat eigenlijk om de vraag of men in India wel behoefte heeft snelle, maar ook veel duurdere treinen. De schrijver van het oorspronkelijke bericht heeft vervolgens een onderzoekje verricht onder zijn kennissen en collega's naar de keuze voor een bepaalde klasse per trein.

Het leek me wel aardig dit hier te posten, mede i.v.m. de bekende discussies op dit forum over welke klasse te kiezen.

01. Retired principal – always travels SL, even though he can very

well afford 3A and even 2A.

02. Retired professor – does not like travelling; if essential, would

travel by 3A or 2A, or even go by taxi – just prefers to sleep most

of the way.

03. Retired professor – went by the highest class eligible for while

availing of Leave Travel Concession as the government reimbursed the

fares – now travels by SL generally, but in emergencies travels 3A;

will hesitate to travel in 2A.

04 – 19. Retired and serving lecturers – went/go by the highest class

eligible for and available on LTC; went/go by lower class, usually

SL, and claimed/claim the fare by the highest eligible class, if no

receipt is required, as while going on examination duties. If paying

from the pocket, travel by the lowest class available, avoiding 2A,

(…)

Thus among the 19 college teachers, serving and retired, that I have

considered, only one prefer/preferred to travel by the upper classes,

one sometimes did, and the remaining 17 opt for SL if paying from

their pockets or even when the university/government paid, if no

proof of class was to be submitted. I am sure that these 17 cannot be

lured to HST's if someone else does not pay the fare for them. It

will do well to remember that these 19 belong to the top 5% income

bracket in India nowadays.

(…)

Applying the same to people in private employment:

20. Executive in a top level firm - Travels by air or 1A while on

duty, the ticket being booked by an agent. While paying the fare

himself, travels by 3A or 2A; does not relish SL, considering it not

comfortable enough.

21. Executive in a middle level firm – travels by air or 1A while on

duty; paying himself, prefers SL or 3A; will not countenance 2A.

22 - 27. Officers in firms/companies – by 2A while on duty; by SL if

self-paid.

The first two can be lured to the HST's but the other six are very

unlikely to be if the fare is to be met from personal funds. While

the first two fall within the top 5% of the income bracket, the next

six fall within the 5-20%.

28. Private entrepreneur. Rich. Travels by AC or car, even when he

cannot show the expenses in his firm's account.

29 - 30. Private entrepreneurs. Rich. Travel SL; rarely by AC. Prefer

slower expresses to Rajdhanis and Shatabdi's because the latter are

costlier.

31-32. Private entrepreneurs. Middle class. Travel by SL almost

always.

Turning to the younger and upcoming generation of IT professionals:

33 – 40: (4 men and 4 women): though flush with money, six of them

prefer SL or express bus travelling home or to office and think twice

before traveling AC; the other two will travel SL if having company,

otherwise have a preference for AC or deluxe buses, not minding the

cost.

Khan

Rob

peet