Don’t Call Me Bhaiya, Be Polite: Cab Driver Has His Own Rules For Passengers On Board

New Delhi: A cab driver’s list of six rules for passengers has gone viral on Reddit. The fifth guideline on his list of rules catches attention as it demands passengers to not just be polite in their interactions but also asks them to refrain from calling the driver, ‘bhaiya.’

While some Reddit users called his guidelines unreasonable and criticized him for objecting to the ‘bhaiya’ attribution, others supported him for taking a stand against rude passengers.

A Reddit user—who goes by the name of CarsIndia—shared a photo of the list of rules that the driver has hung in front of the passenger seat.

‘Put your attitude in your pocket’

The driver also reminded passengers that they were not the owners of the car. The fourth rule read: “Put your attitude in your pocket. Please don’t show to us because you are not giving more money to us.” He also asked the passengers to close the door slowly. The last rule was printed in red for more emphasis. It read: “Don’t say to drive fast bee on time [sic].”

How did netizens react?

The person who posted the list wrote: “I have booked a cab and the cab driver mentioned some guidelines on the cab! What do you think about these guidelines?”

While some stated there was nothing wrong with setting some rules, others were baffled as to why the driver would insist not to call him ‘bhaiya.’ “Most points are fair but what’s with – don’t call us bhaiya?” asked one Reddit user.

“As long as it is mentioned for mutual respect it’s perfectly fine. And things like closing the door softly and not disturbing the driver are basic manners,” another user wrote.

“As for the “bhaiya” part I understand it comes off as weird but I don’t think there’s anything wrong in calling them with whatever works in their regional language. It’s just a word you have to get acquainted yourself with. When I was down south, I used to use “Anna” and in Maharashtra it’s “dada/bhau” , just a token of respect from us that will go a long way,” another reply read.

The post drew criticism as well. “The beginning made sense, but at the end it was just topped with a hypothetical ego & totalitarian attitude!” said a Reddit use. Another user replied in a sarcastic manner stating that he would call the cab drivers ‘uncle’ henceforth.

The ‘Bhaiyyya’ roast

It isn’t the first time that the word ‘bhaiya’ has turned out to be a point of discussion on internet. Often, people with accents calling out drivers or street vendors as ‘bhaiyyaa’ or ‘bhaaya’ have been roasted for being ‘show-offs.’  Influencer Kusha Kapila’s roast on South Delhi girls—mostly hailing from elite families—and Bandra girls about the ‘bhayya’ calls has also been a hot favourite for netizens with many criticizing the accent. Recently, a X user had also posted an auto driver’s objection to addressing him as ‘bhayya.’