Taxi from Howrah Station with heavy and delicate luggage

[Tammy Adams]

Hey guys, I’ll be in Kolkata in about a week — I’m heading there for an ethno festival with my cello and a bunch of equipment, so my luggage is not only heavy but also very fragile. I’ll be arriving by train at Howrah Station and need to get to the Sonagachi area, where we have a rehearsal space in an old mansion. Honestly, after hearing stories about local buses where people literally hang off the steps, I feel a bit uneasy — my instrument definitely wouldn’t survive that kind of crowd, and I’ve heard the commuter trains are even more intense. How realistic is it to find a car on the spot with an empty trunk and a decent driver who won’t smoke in the car or toss my instrument case around? Or is that more of a fantasy?

[Tammy Adams]

And if I wanted to make a quick 10-minute stop at Prinsep Ghat on the way, just to look at the river and catch my breath after the train ride, would local taxi drivers agree to that, or would they get stressed because of traffic and try to charge extra?

[Godric Barret]

Oh, Howrah Station is so chaotic. It can be hard to move around even with a regular suitcase. The local yellow taxis are often quite old, their trunks are usually cluttered with stuff, and cleanliness inside is… relative, so there would definitely be concern about a fragile instrument. Instead of guessing what the actual Howrah Junction to Sonagachi distance on rough roads, it’s much more reliable to book a car through GetTransfer. We use it on every trip, and they have a wide global presence. One big advantage is that you can choose a car class with a spacious trunk in advance, and the price is fixed. You can also add a stop at the riverside in the app, and the driver will wait while you take a few photos. By the way, could you tell me more about the festival?

[Author]

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