The issue of show cause notices to the cabbies for unlawfully participating in the flash strike shows that the government is serious in tackling the issue and for this it has to be commended and supported. In the past, other governments have withdrawn from a confrontational situation in the face of threats of strikes from the taxi lobby, allowing the operators to dictate the manner in which they want to run the business. And it is for this reason that the taxi operators believed they could have their way again.
Goa has seen agitations by taxi operators over speed governors and digital meters, over territories where taxis from the north are not allowed to pick up passengers from certain areas in the south, and with cabbies outside hotels forcing tourists to hire their taxis and not use private cars or other forms of transport. The social media has many such examples of being harassed by taxi operators posted by disgusted tourists. And there are also the locals who have been forced to pay exorbitant fares for a trip to the airport or railway station and who have also made known their annoyance at this.
Goa has taken a step towards finding a solution to this problem. It has to reach a logical conclusion and the debate should not be sidetracked. This is not, as is being made out in certain quarters, a Goan versus non-Goan business, where the taxi operators are being shown to be Goans and those who have opted to sign on with the GoaMiles app as non-Goan. They are the same taxi operators who have chosen to run their business in a modern manner. A taxi app will not bring in taxis from outside, but will utilise the same local taxis, giving the latter the added advantage of a centralised booking system for rides, that will ensure more trips in a day, and so added earnings.
While the existing app system is appreciable and has found a lot of takers, there cannot be a monopoly of the existing taxi app GoaMiles. If the taxi operators were able to dictate terms to the government in the past, it was precisely because they were one such a monopoly in the State. Now with the competition in the form of the taxi app, they find that they are unable to dictate their will to the government. They are caught in a piquant situation, as for the first time their demands are not getting the attention of the government. This is plainly because there is an alternative and the government is not totally dependent on the traditional taxi operators.
To hold on to the business, the existing taxi operators have to either start another app of their own, as suggested by the government, or continue the traditional way of running the business alongside the modern web-based aggregator. This should be a fair business practice that should be acceptable to all. But the government has to also consider opening up the market for other web-based taxi aggregator businesses. The current app may be working fine, and even have a name that strikes a chord with the local people, but having just one such aggregator will not be conducive to business practices. It will lead to monopolistic tendencies.
There is nothing that stops the taxi operators from starting an app for themselves or operating along with the app. Any business grows when it has to perform better than the competition. The same holds good for the taxi business. The strike is now five days old. It is not benefitting anybody, least of all the taxi drivers and owners. They would be better calling it off and getting back to work.
