'Tony Stark' in Bengaluru: Tech savvy auto driver flips smartwatch at woman for QR code payment; impresses internet

A Bengaluru auto driver saved his QR code as a screensaver on his smartwatch for payment, impressing social media users.

Published on: Aug 16, 2023, 15:26:29 IST

By Yamini C S

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In a “Peak Bengaluru” moment, a Bengaluru-based woman said she met the city's own “Tony Stark” after an auto rickshaw driver flipped out his smartwatch when she had to make a payment using a Quick Response (QR) code.

A Bengaluru-based woman shared a picture of the incident on social media and used the “peak Bengaluru” tag. (X (formerly Twitter))

The woman had hired an auto on the Namma Yatri app and was awed when the driver flipped his wrist to show her his smartwatch instead of pointing to a laminated card when asked for a QR code for payment. To her astonishment, the driver had saved the QR code as his watch's screensaver.

READ | Peak Bengaluru: Auto rickshaw driver accepts two rides on two different apps, netizens amused

The woman shared a picture of the incident on social media site X (formerly Twitter) and used the “peak Bengaluru” tag, which is used often for posts on Bengaluru city's tech and start-up culture, among other things including "hipster" incidents.

“Today I met namma Tony Stark in @nammayatri. Asked my auto driver for the QR code. Man flipped his hand and showed me his smartwatch. Turns out he's saved the QR code as his smartwatch screensaver. So much swag, @peakbengaluru,” she wrote.

The post has since then gone viral, garnering over 360,000 views, more than 7,500 likes and 700 reposts at the time this article was being written. Internet users flooded the comment section with wholesome replies.

READ | ‘Instant karma’: Car gets into wrong lane in Bengaluru, forced to reverse all the way. Video

“I absolutely love hearing and telling these little observations that I have only experienced in Bangalore,” a user replied. “I love to take autos and hear their stories heart out. It's wonderful!” another said.

Other responses included “That's why it's called the Silicon Valley of India. There must be something unique,” and “That is the kind of peak Bengaluru I like to see.”

Social media users were all praise for the auto driver, posting replies like “Legend”, “Impressive” and “Digital India”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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