Goa: Taximen deny overcharging, say rates fixed by state

PANAJI: Taxi operators have denied that they have a monopoly in Goa and have said that taxi fares are based on the prices fixed by the transport department. They submitted a memorandum to the directorate of transport saying that the taxi business provides income to Goa’s unemployed youth. This comes in the wake of the transport minister Mauvin Godinho’s statement on bringing cab aggregators to Goa.
“The minister said that the TTAG has alleged that taxi operators are not using the digital fare meters to tackle which Godinho has threatened to bring Ola and Uber into Goa. We have nearly 12,000 taxis on the road and they do not belong to one single ‘patrao’ (boss of operations). Goa’s taxi business is a cluster of operators that come from various parts of the state,” said Sudeep Tahmankar, while representing the taxi operators.
Currently, we have many unemployed youth in Goa who have taken to taxi driving to make ends meet. There is no question of monopoly here, he said.
He further spoke on the idea of “cheap taxis” in Goa as opposed to the exorbitantly priced white tourist taxis.
“Goa Miles is one of these cheap taxis. But how can the government call our services expensive when the STA itself has decided our fares? The notification has been published by the transport department, and that is what we follow. Where does this false idea of looting the public by overcharging come from?” Tahmankar said.
Godinho, who has been lashing out at the taxi industry, had said that discussions with the app-based cab aggregator Ola are still at the preliminary stage. He said that the private firm has assured the government that only taxis registered in Goa and operated by Goans will be registered on the app. He had also said that Ola initiated the discussions while Uber has yet to come forward with a similar proposal.