This app was mentioned in 8 comments, with an average of 2.13 upvotes
(3.) That depends on where you live, where you work, where you want to commute. If your home is near to the workspace, you can have an auto till there. Locals are not crowded all the time - if you choose to work from 7 to 4, you can easily get a seat in local - again it depends on the direction you are travelling.
(4.) In which area will you be staying? What is your fav food and preference of restaurant?
Autos charge 18 Rs per km, they are trying to increase the fare to 22.
Best is to download m-Indicator app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobond.mindicator&hl=en_IN). It has all such information, plus details about local trains.
I forgot to add this in my previous comment and editing it will go unnoticed, so a new comment.
Download m-Indicator on your phone as soon as you leave your hometown for Mumbai. Go through the app and you will find a lot of information in one place that will help you to settle down here.
P. S. - Just download it now and go through the app to get used to it. Here's the link to the app on Google Play Store.
Yup, It's a local transit app. It's very useful for someone who doesn't use public transport frequently and tourists. It has its own wiki page too.
Apart from having information regarding everything about public transport, users can also share information in real time, so if a train is late or there has been a fire somewhere, people will immediately share this information.
Picture this - I'm stuck in a train with like hundreds of other passengers, each of us falling on top of each other and the train isn't even moving because the track is clogged with water. So I decide my next move - take out my phone which BTW is going to die soon and check out m-indicator for buses to my home from the next station. I then somehow get into the crowded bus and finally reach my home after many hours because the bus has been snailing through wading the watered roads. Fun? No. But I definitely would not want to not do it again.
> Which operator provides the best coverage ( I'm looking for Internet coverage as well)? I heard Vodaphone has 4g in Mumbai now.
As far as mobile networks are concerned, from personal experience, go with Vodafone. They have better coverage than Airtel even though the latter is marketing the shit out of itself. 4G is available, and afaik, the 3G and 4G plans are same right now, so should you find yourself in a situation where you aren't getting 4G coverage, just switch to 3G. Vodafone 3G works like a charm.
> Is the best option a prepaid plan and buying a sim card from the local operators?
Yep. Prepaid plan, get 250 bucks talk time, a 3G for another ~ 300, plan (4G isnt so reliable, 3G coverage is pretty good.), a calling pack that knocks your local and national roaming charges to around ~40 p/minute.
> Any other cell phone advice you have would be super helpful!
> And are there any restaurants that I absolutely have to visit? Well be near Borivali but will be traveling frequently to the Church gate area.
Restaurants? Pfft.
Go have vada pav's from Kunjvihar from either Bandra or Thane
Go grab a Bhel Puri from the street.
Go to Amar Juice Center and have Pav Bhaji.
Then go have chocolate paan at Muchhad Paanwala
Once you do all that, and you feel like dancing, coz' ofcourse, you are in Bombay, you can head over to Bombay Bronx at breach candy
Maybe you aren't a dancer, you are a singer. In that case, head over to Fort, The Local, if you can find it, and plead the bouncer to let you in (or get your hands on the password ;-) ) .
If you like to read, go check out Leaping windows in versova. They have a comic book library in the basement.
Also, Flora Fountain, if you like to read. You are welcome.
Also, one night, any night, just go sit at marine drive, or at Versova beach, or any other beach you can find. It probably wont be empty, or quiet. It even might be hot. You will stare out into the ocean and see nothing but darkness. You will hear the waves hitting the rocks, maybe even hear a couple making out somewhere in the shadows. Your clothes might get sandy, and your feet might get wet. But you'll fall in love.
P.s. just ask the locals before heading to a beach at night. Barring the popular ones like juhu chowpatty versova etc., the small ones might not be safe.
Have fun!
Is it similar to Mumbai's m-Indicator?
Lots of people from there use that app apparently
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobond.mindicator
i m not in mumbai, but years back when I was, m-indicator was goto app for locals, they also were adding Metro timetable. App shows timetable only.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobond.mindicator