When we visited ‘Gernal Taxi Stand’ on a Sunday morning about a week ago, we noticed a number of vehicles set in a row under the shade of a huge tree. We were here to meet Amarjeet Singh, a chauffeur whose taxi—it was situated in a tiny corner opposite the South Moti Bagh market—stands out from its counterparts for its commitment to chauffeur pets and their owners. The 60-year-old was dressed in a khaki kurta-pyjama, sitting outside his office on a plastic chair. As we approached him, he greeted us with a warm smile.
Two weeks ago, Singh became an internet sensation when a social media post was circulated, announcing his initiative to provide a pet-friendly taxi service. The post went viral immediately, receiving a positive response from netizens. As a result, several people reached out to Singh to avail his services. “I have been serving dogs for a long time. The business was also affected due to the pandemic. With the pet taxi service, I thought I could do both: earn money and do some seva (service),” he mentioned with a smile.
The pawfect squad
The decision to run a pet taxi came up in a conversation Singh had with Dr Priyanka Chawla, an acquaintance who resides in Anand Niketan and avails his cab service to commute to her university. “We were introduced to uncle [Singh] a few years ago. We even fostered his dog for a few days when he had to visit his village. While driving me to my university, he mentioned the problems he was facing.
That is when I suggested that he can run a pet taxi. I even offered to create a post and share it on the internet through my Instagram page, which I did. The rest is history (laughs),” says Chawla, who, along with her mother, has been feeding and rescuing strays for the last 16 years.
We asked Singh about his love for dogs, following which he mentioned his pet Labrador, Snooby, who passed away two years ago. “My son had brought Snooby. Over the years, my wife and I took care of him. The last three to four years of his life, he was always with me at the taxi stand.” Singh continued that while the pet taxi initiative started only a week ago, he has chauffeured people with their pets in the past as well. “I have never said no to a customer just because they wanted to take their pet/s along. We helped Dr Chawla when they rescued a few dogs,” he shared, adding that he has also been serving food to six strays near his home in Moti Bagh for the past 15 years.
A seamless experience
In the last week, Singh has received numerous calls from pet owners living in Delhi-NCR. “I have chauffeured many pets and their owners in the last one week. Someone wanted to take their dog to the hospital, so I drove them. I also helped an organisation who wanted to take a few stray dogs to a hospital for sterilisation,” he shared.
We spoke to Sumit Singh who took his dog Max to a grooming facility in Singh’s taxi. “He [Singh] is truly great. He dropped us at Patel Nagar and waited for about three to four hours. He is doing a great job, and my experience was seamless,” mentioned Sumit.
A pet-friendly lift
While app-based services have brought cabs to our doorstep, there is still a dearth of options that allows pet transportation. Some taxi services follow a ‘No Pet’ policy, which makes it difficult for pet owners to travel with their furry friends. Singh also said that many taxi services do this in order to keep the vehicles clean. “Taxis start smelling a lot when dogs or any other pets are chauffeured in it. The smell
bothers customers,” he explained. Despite this issue, Singh is resolute that he keeps his service running.
“I have knowledge of dogs. I usually scatter some scent in my car to ensure it doesn’t smell,’ he shared.
As we wrapped up our conversation with Singh, he casually mentioned how people criticise those who help stray dogs. “A lot has changed over the years. The love that humans had for each other as well as for other creatures has been replaced by the love for money. But the biggest thing in the world is not monetary pleasures, it is love and humanity,” he concluded.