Cabbies keep travellers at bay

ABDUL WAHAB KHAN | NT 

Panaji: Safety concerns vis-à-vis the COVID-19 pandemic have forced cabbies not to ferry people coming  from outside Goa by flights and trains.  

The taxi drivers are not ready to ferry people  coming from other states via air and rail, fearing of getting infected by the deadly virus. The cabbies believe  that the virus is transmitted through air. They also feel that operating  taxis without safety gear is risky.

Vice-president of North Goa Tourist Taxi Owner Association Ravindra Vengurlekar says that no taxi operators, except those who are associated with GoaMiles, are ferrying passengers.

“We are feared of getting infected  by the deadly virus. If we ply our taxis then we may come in contact with someone with the COVID infection. There is no option of social distancing in taxi service…,” he says.

He is not in favour of the resumption of flight and train services, saying  that the measures to screen travellers upon their arrival in the state are not “foolproof”.

There is no ‘cast-iron’ guarantee that the  traveller, who is asymptomatic, cannot pass on the virus to another person, he opines.

The cabbies have asked Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to provide surgical masks and gloves to taxi drivers. “But there is no positive response to the demand,” he said.

Rafik, who gives his vehicles on hire to self-employed drivers, says there is no way to maintain social distancing in a taxi.

“Hence we have stopped plying until normalcy returns,” Rafik says.

The taxi drivers lament about how the COVID  crisis  has been depriving them of their livelihood. They seek deferment in payment of taxes and insurance premiums.

They also seek financial assistance to tide over the situation.

“We urge the government to accept our demands because an unoccupied taxi is not good for our business,” remarks Vengurlekar.