Ashoka Travels

We are based at House Number 1-12 in Nadikuda, which is in the Parkal area. Running a travel business from here means the phone is always ringing at odd hours. People call up asking about the price of a trip to the city or if we can pick someone up from the station late at night. The office is just a room at the front of the house with a couple of old chairs and a big map pinned to the wall. I spend a lot of my time writing down bookings in a large register that’s falling apart at the edges. Our drivers are local guys who know every single pothole and shortcut in the district. They usually hang around the porch drinking tea while they wait for their next trip. We have a few vehicles, and keeping them clean is a never-ending job because of the dusty roads around here. Sometimes a car needs a new tire or an oil change, and I have to go down to the local garage to watch over the repairs. It’s a lot of coordination and making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be. We don't have any big corporate website or anything like that. Word of mouth is how most people find out about us. It’s a lot of work and late nights, but it’s what we do. We just try to make sure the vehicles are ready to go when someone needs them and that everyone gets home safe.