Annadurai, 32 is Chennai’s most loved auto driver. With nearly 10,000 followers on Facebook and more than 40 speeches at corporate offices and two TED talks to his credit. His auto comes with special amenities including a laptop, tablets, free WiFi, magazines and lots more. He plays the day to day important news clips on the TV set, which he records during the lunch break at home.
He also keeps stock of popular film songs from various major Indian languages and then plays them for customers from different states who like to hear songs in their native tongue. Last year he installed a swiping machine so that customers need not worry about carrying change while traveling in his auto. Annadurai used to encounter this problem in giving change to customers.
“When I didn’t have change, I used to tell customers that they could pay me the next time they ride. Many felt guilty that they owed me a debt. So to resolve this issue, I approached a bank for a swiping machine. “Now customers can pay the fare through their debit or credit cards”.
Annadurai offers free or discounted rides on some very special days. Teachers are offered free rides on a day-to-day basis, lovers on Valentine’s Day and women traveling with their children on Mother’s Day. He said that he has always looked possible ways to make his customers happy.
Annadurai who earns around Rs 45,000 every month and spends from about Rs 9,000 of it on various amenities he provides for his customers.
He said that he has addressed employees of ‘Vodafone’, ‘Hyundai’, ‘Royal Enfield’, ‘Danfoss’, and ‘Gamesa’, who have traveled mostly by air- on speaking assignments to more than a dozen cities across the country, including Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune and Gurgaon in the last couple of years.
He already owns his own website along with Facebook handle with 10k followers. Recently he has launched an android an app which enables to track the movement of his auto by the customers, check seat availability, and book a ride. He is also planning to launch his iPhone app soon. He says that he doesn’t focus on money but all his focus is on customer satisfaction.
Auto Anna and his passion for his profession, for his work, is an inspiration to all of us. His life proves that if you chase your passion, success will automatically come to you.
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