Hire a Driver for a Long Drive or Ghat Road: Chennai to Bangalore and Ooty

Some drives are better shared with a professional. A long highway run from Chennai to Bangalore, or a climb on the hill road to Ooty or Kodaikanal, can be tiring for even a confident driver. A hired driver for your own car lets you travel in your own comfort, with your family, while someone else watches the road. This post explains when it makes sense, what to arrange and what to ask, for the long and the hilly drives that South Indian families make every year.

Why a long drive is harder than it looks

On a long highway such as Chennai to Bangalore, the first hours feel easy. The tiredness comes later, with the monotony, the glare of trucks at night and the stress of heavy traffic near the cities at both ends. Many accidents on long routes happen when the driver is tired. If you have to drive the day after the trip, or if you travel with children and elders, handing the wheel to someone rested is a sensible decision.

What is different about a ghat road

A hill road such as the climb to Ooty or Kodaikanal has tight bends, steep sections and fog. Drivers who use it often know where to slow down, where to give way to buses and where the road is narrow. For someone used to city roads, it is stressful. The descent is as demanding as the climb, with the brakes under constant use. This is a good reason to hire a driver who knows the road, even if you are an experienced driver.

What to tell the booking

Give the details that matter for a long trip: the start and end points, the dates, the number of days, and whether the driver will stay overnight. Tell them the make and model of your car, and whether it is manual or automatic. Mention any plan for local sightseeing at the destination, because the number of days and the kilometres affect the arrangement.

• Route, dates and whether it is one way or return
• Car make, model and gearbox type
• Night driving, if any, and where the driver will stay
• Local sightseeing days at the destination

What the driver's cost usually covers

The booking covers the driver's service. On a multi day trip, ask whether the driver's food and stay are included, or whether you provide them. Ask how the driver will return home if your trip is one way, since that is a cost that is often forgotten. Fuel, toll and parking are paid by you, as they belong to your car.

Plan rest and stops

Even with a driver, a long trip needs breaks. Plan a stop every couple of hours for tea and a stretch. On the ghat road, plan a stop at a safe viewpoint rather than on the bends. A driver who has had a proper rest before the trip is the safest, so avoid starting a long journey straight after a night shift.

It is worth asking the booking about the driver's rest before a long trip, and about the number of hours he will drive in a day. A good plan has the driver drive in stretches, with stops between them, and with a long rest at night. If you want to reach somewhere very far in a single day, think about hiring a second driver so that the two can take turns, or break the trip into two days.

Seasons and road conditions

The north east monsoon from October to December brings heavy rain to the east coast, and the highway between Chennai and Bangalore can be slow when it rains. Hill roads are most at risk in heavy rain, with mist and sometimes fallen branches or landslips. Check the weather and the road status before a hill trip, and keep your schedule flexible.

Your own car, your own comfort

The benefit of a driver for your own car is that everything is familiar. The seats, the air conditioning, the music and the space for your luggage are what you choose. A taxi is the other option, with its own driver and car. If you prefer your own car, a hired driver is the way. On Oray, you can book a driver for your car with the charges shown before you confirm.

Questions