Considering its small size, public transportation in Goa should have been a breeze. In reality, though, it is anything but. We are well into the 21st century and yet, people living in the State – especially in the hinterlands – are forced to walk for kilometres at a time just to get to the nearest bus stop. Taxis and autorickshaws, which are the natural alternatives to buses, may be available, but are way out of the common man’s reach due to the exorbitant fares they charge. It is no wonder then, that there has long been a surge in cars and motorbikes on the State’s roads as, in the absence of a robust public transport system, commuters have been left with no option but to invest in private vehicles if they are to travel hassle-free. This has, in turn, unduly burdened the State’s road network.
If the government is keen on resolving the issue, it should start by focusing on streamlining its bus services. KTC’s recent introduction of electric buses on internal routes in Panaji has met with considerable success. Many commuters have, in fact, praised the ease of getting to areas in the city and its periphery that were otherwise not part of any public bus route, and that too, by leaving a way smaller carbon footprint. If such an intervention can work in the State capital, it will undoubtedly be successful in other hubs such as Margao, Mapusa, Bicholim and Canacona, which are currently operating the same bus routes for the past several years with buses that have more than outlived their time on the road and are serious hazards to the environment and passengers.
Once public transportation at such hubs is transformed, it is only a matter of time until such changes can percolate to the rural areas and the hinterlands, where the struggle for effective and affordable travel is a whole different ballgame. Route buses plying frequently on roads less travelled will undoubtedly become increasingly popular and will result in people slowly ditching their private vehicles and choosing public transport instead. Tourists, too, stand to benefit from such an arrangement, and would happily trade rental vehicles for a more cost-effective way to travel around the State, like how it is done in several other Asian holiday destinations.
Another sore point that the government must tackle on a war footing in the public transportation sector is the taxi lobby. Not only tourists but also locals regularly complain that they are unable to get from point A to point B in a taxi without the fare burning a hole in their pockets. The same applies to autorickshaws too. For a tourist State like Goa, such fleecing must be nipped in the bud post-haste and the government should address the issue with an iron hand. The app-based taxi service, GoaMiles, is by far the most affordable and popular cab hailing facility, with a substantial percentage of locals using it on a regular basis. For reasons best known to them, however, the local cabbies are not only opposed to the idea of coming under the ambit of an app-based taxi service – which the government has already offered them – but also want the GoaMiles app itself to be discontinued, as was seen during their recent protest at Pernem. Such high-handedness should not be tolerated when it is a given that consumers have a right to choose the most affordable means of transportation and it is the duty of the government to provide them with such options.
If the government in general and the transport ministry in particular can stand their ground and bring about sweeping changes in the State’s public transport sector, it will do wonders to clean up the image of the sunshine State.