By Two Wheelers
Scooters and motorcycles are the favoured means of personal transport on the roads. Renting or buying the motorcycle is not for the faint hearted. The mix of fast and slow traffic makes it especially dangerous. Like all the Indian cities, lane discipline is not well followed.
There are companies arranging tours on Enfield Bullet motorcycles out of Thiruvananthapuram . Most of the locals zip around in modern motorcycles like the Hero Honda,Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki or Bajaj.
By taxi
Taxis are convenient and cheap, especially if you travel in groups. Taxis can be hired not only for short distances, but also for a few days at a stretch. Unlike other metros, Thiruvanathapuram still has only Indian Ambassadors as taxi cabs. Being administrative city, almost all public cabs are Ambassadors, which is a heritage car to take a ride. However if you wish for modern cars, you can get from your hotel on request.
When you hire the taxi with a driver over a few days, a minimum charge is usually paid which covers the hiring charge for the car, the driver's fees and a certain distance. If the car covers more than that distance, additional charges are levied according to the extra distance covered as per kilometre. Most of the drivers expect to be paid for their meals during the day. If staying overnight, this will include the hotel charges as well.
The present taxi charges in the city are as follows : minimum charge â Rs.65; running charge per km â Rs.7.50; and charge for waiting â Rs.25 per hour, subject to a maximum of Rs.300 per day.
By Auto Rickshaw
Autorickshaws or simply Autos are a cheap way of travelling between attractions. It is always possible to get an auto rickshaw from a bus stand, railway station or special auto rickshaw stand. All the legally licensed city auto-rikshaws should possess fare meters, and the fare is calculated by the taximeter. So, make sure that the driver turns on the meter before the start of the journey. Most auto drivers tend to charge more from foreigners, this is illegal. The driver may quote a price first, but just insist that he uses the meter. The minimum charge for the autorickshaw is Rs 12 and the running charge per km is Rs.7. The charge for waiting for over 10 min is Rs 5 for every 15 min, subject to a maximum of Rs 200 per day. There are pre-paid autorickshaw counters available near the airport and the railway station. Complaints related to the autorickshaws in Trivandrum can be made to RTO Trivandrum, â+91 471 2469223. Online complaints are also accepted in the traffic police website (http://www.tvmcitypolice.org).
By car
There are many car rental companies offering cars with drivers and very few, hard to find "self drive". Many of them are unreasonably expensive by local standards. Ask someone with the local know how before you rent a car.
You can easily visit Thiruvananthapuram through Car. There are many car rental companies available which Provide good services.
On foot
Many places of attractions within the city are nearby, so you could walk between them. Crossing roads often involves wading across heavy traffic during peak hours. The zebra lanes are used by the locals for road crossing only in major junctions. Other than the major junctions, do not expect the vehicles to stop for you in the zebra lines. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. The recommended walk areas in the city are as follows:
Walk from Over bridge towards East Fort. Visit the Padmanabhaswami Temple premises. End up your walk in the Gandhi Park in East Fort.
Walk from Secratariate towards Palayam. Walk and see the Connemera market and do window shopping.
Walk from Museum Junction towards Vellayambalam. Alternatively, you can also walk inside the Museum compounds.
Walk from Vellayambalam Junction up to Kowdiar palace. This road is called the Royal Road, as it leads to the palace. There are good coffee shops and snack bars in this area.
By bike
Before 10 years, cycles were a major mode of transportation used by the residents. Now, the use of cycles are relatively very low. The tourists also prefer little cycling because of the hilly shape of the city. Moreover, the absence of cycling lanes and hot weather will make the day exhausting.
However, for hard-hearters cycles are available on rent with some companies.
Vacation India Ph: +91 471 2312028 Fax: +91 471 2314561
By bus
The local bus service system is the cheapest way to get around Thiruvananthapuram. There are city buses run by governmentKSRTC and private companies. Most of these are very crowded especially during peak hours. Route descriptions on the buses are mainly in Malayalam. Route numbers are displayed. Pick pocketing is not very common. Women of foreign origin can some times be the subject of verbal harassment. The government city buses are painted red with an yellow patch , and the private city buses are blue in colour. Fast passenger buses run by KSRTC are also painted blue and is named "Ananthapuri Fast". The city services of KSRTC operate from six depots namely, the City depot, Vikas Bhavan, Peroorkada, Pappanamcode, Kaniyapuram and Vellanad. The central city bus terminal is located at East FortKizhakkekotta, near the Padmanabha Swamy temple. The Central and Inter State bus station is located 1 km away at Thampanoor.KSRTC operates AC Volvo services connecting various important places. If you have a little time to spent you can try the new mode of transportaion. Recently KSRTC has launched AC buses also for local transportation. you can take these buses for a city tour in AC comfort at about Rs 40. minimum fare is Rs 10/-.Buses are painted in an orange colour.