The House debated the taxi issue, not just for half an hour, as had been planned, but as views came fast and many, the discussion went on till almost 11 pm, before the proceedings of the House were ended on the assurance from the Chief Minister that the GoaMiles app-based taxi service would not be stopped and the decision taken on the taxi issue was in the interest of the operators, the people and the State. He also invited the taxi operators to join the app for three months and try it out or start their own app, which the government will support. A day later, the taxi operators reiterated their demand that the existing app be scrapped, but are ready to join one started by the government.
While much of the discussion in the Assembly centred around the fact that it is the tourists who use the taxi services in the State, the possibility of locals opting to use the app based taxis is they are assured of a service that is comfortable and reasonable cannot be ruled out.
For that reason, the many Goans who have been demanding that the app-based service be not discontinued, this statement from the Chief Minister would be most welcome. Technology is playing a huge role in the quotidian, and transport is part of our daily lives. If there is a possibility that Goans can get a cheaper means of transport that is also reliable, the business in this sector is bound to increase. There is an assurance from the Chief Minister the taxi operators today struggling to earn Rs 15-20,000 a month will earn a minimum Rs 40,000 per month if they join the taxi app.
This is not a far-fetched guarantee. Look at examples in other services. Today, more people are eating restaurant food because they can order it from the comfort of their home and get it delivered to the doorstep at no extra cost. There are already grocery delivery services on apps and these are picking up. The online delivery and taxi services are beginning to grow and it stems to reason that if people are assured of a taxi at any time of the day and night, which can be ordered on an app, they will reduce the use of their vehicles. Won’t a cheaper taxi service be more attractive then driving oneself and hunting for a parking space on crowded streets.
It’s imperative for the local taxi operators to think of the long term. The world is changing fast. A lot of business is being transacted over the phone and other applications that are enabled by the Internet. The world is moving towards an online system, and resisting an app-based taxi service is not going to help the taxi operators as this is a system, or a variation of it, that at some point they will have to adopt. Against this background, the Chief Minister’s suggestion that the taxi operators start their own app, should be considered by them. This will also create competition, rather than having just the monopoly of one app-based service.
While the opposition to the app has a very limited appeal, and the taxi operators remain adamant about not going for the existing, there is still one option that can be experimented with. Why can’t the traditional taxi operators continue to operate alongside the modern app-based service? It is happening now, but the taxi operators want restrictions on the app-based service. Instead, let there be free competition that will give the customer a choice and allow the best service win. It is clear that even in the Legislative Assembly, the app-based system has more support. Had there been a vote in the Assembly at the end of the debate, the Speaker could probably have closed the proceedings saying the app has it, the app has it.
