Mumbaikars turn M-Indicator chat into a gossip hub, with a viral video past 3 million views

Most people in Mumbai open the M-Indicator app first when they need to book a local train, bus or metro ticket. A quick look at the app before leaving home makes the whole journey plan clear. The bond between Mumbaikars and the app needs no introduction.

But the app is no longer limited to checking timings. People have begun using it somewhat like social media. WhatsApp-style chatting goes on there, and screenshots of some of these chats are now going viral on social media. They are enough to make readers double up with laughter.

M-Indicator offers a chat option for commuters. It was meant so that passengers could tell one another if a train was late, if it was crowded, or any other information. But Mumbaikars are using it less for information and more for passing the time with banter.

The video has been shared on an Instagram page called princyparriikh. In it, RJ Princy Parikh reads out chats from the app. The chats are so funny that listening to them feels like watching a comedy show.

One commuter wrote in the chat that his mobile phone had been lost on the CSMT to Titwala journey. Someone promptly commented, "Did you delete the phone's search history?" Another wrote, "The next station is the police station."

In another chat, a young man named Arjun asked, "Is Sudarshan Bar in Jogeshwari open?" The reply came, "Yes, it is open. Try the bangda masala there once."

Someone asked whether there was a place to sit on the train. The reply: "There is no room for even an ant to put its foot here, forget about sitting." A young woman named Rutuja asked, "Where has the Kalyan AC train reached?" Someone answered her, "Is someone coming to eat a frankie?"

Commuters also vent their anger over delayed trains in the same chat. When one person asked where the train was, someone said, "Fine if the train is late, but there should be no delay for the wedding."

More than 3 million people have so far watched the video. People are enjoying the chats. The chat option was provided for a good purpose, but Mumbaikars have turned it into a small Facebook. Some are pulling each other's legs, some are complaining, some are genuinely helping, and some are even advertising their shops there.

All in all, the M-Indicator chat has become a lively hangout for passing time. Once you start reading, you do not notice when your station arrives.