Friday, June 11, 2004

So what are they gonna charge for next...

It's around 1am and Manoj is driving through the streets of Redmond trying to check and fix the air pressure in his car's tyres. I go from gas station to gas station trying to find a machine he can use to accomplish my mission. I stop at the first and balk at the price of a gallon of gasoline - $2.54 the signboards read. I walk up to the air machine, fills air in one tyre - pressure checked, 30psi. As I drag the air cable to the next tyre, I find that the cable is too short. Turns out in the new world order, the cable doesn't move to the wheels, the wheels instead move to the cable. I would have to move my car back, forth and around to ensure that all tyres got adequate attention. I left thinking to myself, "There's gotta be another gas station with an air machine that I can use!"

NOT - I'm writing this to inform you that air for tyres is no longer free at 76 and Shell gas stations in America. And they insist on quarters - 50c for 3 minutes. No quarters, no air - so what if you get into an accident, so what if you get a flat - they don't care! So what's next on their charging list - using the restroom at a gas station or better still, a parking charge if you want to buy something at the convenience store - sheeshhh!!!

5 comments:

  1. To be fair there is a cost associated with maintaining all the machinery you need for pumping air.

    And speaking of getting charged to go to the loo: that is actually fairly common practice in Delhi. In fact at the Delhi airport they charge you 5 rupees for luxury of using the "public" rest rooms.

    -You know who.

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  2. And, since you're carpooling 3x a week now, you shouldn't need to put so much air in your tyres anymore ;)

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  3. And, since you're carpooling 3x a week now, you shouldn't need to put so much air in your tyres anymore ;)

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  4. And, since you're carpooling 3x a week now, you shouldn't need to put so much air in your tyres anymore ;)

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  5. Thanks for posting the same comment 3x...

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