GTDC to look at electric cars to solve low taxi enrolment on Goa Miles

PANAJI: Environment-friendly electric cars may soon be brought in as taxis under the government’s taxi app. Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has moved a proposal to the tourism minister asking that they be allowed to procure electric vehicles if the existing taxi operators do not join the Goa Miles app.

Chairman GTDC Nilesh Cabral told TOI that he has moved two different schemes before the government. “Tourism minister Manohar Azgaonkar will speak to the chief minister and a decision will be taken.”



Besides saying that electric car scheme was aimed at getting existing taxi operators to join the app, Cabral refused to divulge any more information. He, however, added that there is subsidy available on electric cars, which the state government will make use of.

“Over 15,000 customers have download the app,” Cabral said, adding that while 800 taxi operators have downloaded the app, hardly 250-350 use it.

With the app getting 4,000 booking requests per day, GTDC had decided take the taxi enrolment up to 1,500. Recently, around 100 taxis decided to quit the app.

Goa has around 25,000 taxis registered with the transport department.

The government had launched the app last month in the hope that it would end the perennial commuting problem that has been the bane of the tourism state.