The issues of taxi drivers in Goa are not new. Tourism stake holders and tourists themselves have been crying hoarse about the lack of use of taxi meters and the over pricing that followed. But, in the case of taxi drivers, looking back takes one forward because the crux of the issue is not the entry of aggregate users but the opening of rent a car and rent a bike in Goa at the time when Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat was the Chief Minister.
Taxi drivers are protesting demanding the scrapping of GoaMiles because they believe the latter leaves them with toast instead of bread and butter. The truth is that the taxi men in Goa started losing when the gates were thrown open to rent a bike and rent a cab operator because it is through these operators that the demand for taxis started to evaporate.
Tourists who visit Goa – even the five-star tourists – today prefer to rent a car or bike and discover quintessential Goa many a times driving after drinking or even drinking when driving leading to many accidents and injuries to themselves as well as locals. Renting and riding is a fashion statement of tourism today and it was introduced by the man who recently went to show solidarity with the same taxi drivers who are victims of the Congress Government’s policy.
Digambar Kamat or the other Congress politicians – who went on behalf of their party – to support the taxi drivers demand for scrapping of licence to GoaMiles may well have forgotten that it was their party that actually laid the foundation for the taxi drivers in Goa to start losing their business because had there been no rent a bikes or taxis in Goa, all the business would have been of taxi drivers- the same men protesting all over, demanding the scrapping of GoaMiles.
The taxi issue needs to be seen on a balance. On one side, are the tourists and tourism stake holders crying hoarse that they are being ripped by the taxi drivers in Goa because of their insistence of not using meters and on the other end are the taxi drivers crying – after a long time, because GoaMiles is not a new creation – that the need the taxi aggregator to be scrapped as they cannot earn enough to fill their stomachs.
The demand for taxi meters has been long pending whilst the demand to scrap GoaMiles has appeared and disappeared in stutters. It is only since the start of this agitation that taxi drivers in Goa have come with a one point demand of scrapping Goa Miles. Taxi drivers have stood in solidarity and the tourism stake holders are holding their fort. The controversy appears lost in tunnel vision.
The taxi drivers were silent when the rent a cab and rent a bike policy was thrown open by the Congress government under Digambar Kamat perhaps because they were unaware of the quantum loss of business through it. It has not yet been able to ascertain the number of rent a cab and rent a bike vehicles are available in Goa, it can conclusively be stated that this business is dominated by a few .
One individual in Goa owns number of bikes or cars to rent and – in season – the demand is high because it is cheaper to hire and easier to enjoy in an environment where law enforcement agencies tend to turn a blind eye to the obvious. Had there not been so many licenses issued to such operators, the business would have continued to go to taxi drivers and the presence of an aggregator would have hardly mattered. If it did, the taxi driver might not have felt the pinch.
Unfortunately, the focus is misplaced. The Pramod Sawant-led government has been reiterating that a solution that will benefit the taxi driver and tourism stake holders is within its framework. The Government has kept asking for time and the tourist driver appears to be running out of time for no good reason.
There have been allegations and counter allegations over the implementation of meters for taxis. There is a debate on the use of GPS system on all taxis. Off course safety is important – both financial and physical and the taxi drivers and the government need to arrive at a settlement on this. Now, the demand to scrap the aggregator.
The taxi driver today finds himself in a situation that has a Congress hand; a BJP baton ; and he a self opted silent spectator when both were in power. This deception is not good. The Congress should come down of their high moral ground of supporting the taxi drivers; the BJP should not keep the solution pending and the taxi union must realize that they need to climb down from their pedestal and install taxi meters for the tourists to smile.
After all, tourism is about happy tourists.
