MOPA: As the State battles the rising cases of tourists getting scammed by private vehicle owners posing as taxis, another incident came to light on Friday, when a Maharashtra-registered private vehicle owner was trying to offer his vehicle to a tourist as rent-a-car for a high price. Locals immediately busted the scam and prevented the tourist from getting duped.
On Friday, a Goan local, caught a four-wheeler SUV owner red-handed for allegedly tricking a tourist by offering him his private vehicle as a taxi at Mopa International Airport. The private car had a Maharashtra-registration number plate bearing the number MH 13 BT 1777.
Upon observing the scam, the locals immediately confronted the vehicle owner and the tourist. The locals informed the tourists about such incidents and saved him from getting scammed.
When the tourist was confronted by the local and asked about the fare being charged by the car owner, the tourist that the private vehicle owners was demanding Rs 2000. The locals have filed a complaint against the said perpetrator over the incident.
States such as Tamil Nadu have allowed car owners to convert their private cars into taxis for commercial use. Be it a normal car or a luxury car, any white number plate car can be converted into a taxi. This decision is expected to boost the availability of taxis. Whereas in Goa, it is illegal to run a private vehicle car as a taxi without registration as rent-a-car. This is mainly to protect the interests of existing taxi owners.