A highly charged de bate erupted in the Goa Legisla tive Assembly on Monday over the State’s contentious taxi policies, with the Opposition attacking the government over the proposed ag gregator framework and the ruling side defending its push for a digital taxi ecosystem. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant attempted to calm tempers by assuring the House that the cur rent Aggregator Policy would be scrapped once the government finalises and implements the pro posed Digital Taxi Policy.
The assurance came after Oppo sition members clashed with Trans port Minister Mauvin Godinho, who repeatedly emphasised the govern ment’s efforts to engage taxi opera tors before finalising the policy. Godinho said the government had held extensive consultations with taxi stakeholders and was continuing the dialogue process. “We have to progress with the Digital Taxi Policy due to advanc ing technology. We want to bring everybody onto a digital platform. It is not only a question of taxis, but sometimes there is overpric ing by hoteliers and airlines, which disturbs tourism,” he said.
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The minister added that the government had constituted a five-member committee compris ing Assistant Directors of Trans port to hold discussions with rep resentatives of 36 taxi unions and submit a clear report within eight days on what is acceptable and un acceptable to the unions. He also told the House that all coastal MLAs would be invited to participate in the next round of consultations. Calling the taxi issue a long-stand ing challenge, Godinho said it was a “legacy problem” that required a balanced solution that protects driv ers while embracing technology.
At present, two app-based taxi aggregators are regis tered with the Transport Department, with around 8,500 taxis enrolled on their platforms. According to the min ister, the State-backed aggregator GoaMiles operates at fares about 20 per cent lower than traditional services and continues to generate revenue. He said the growth of app-based taxis has significantly boosted tax collections. When the service was introduced in 2018-19, GST paid by 2,000 taxi operators stood at Rs 39.9 lakh. In the current financial year, GST collections have risen to Rs 4.25 crore, while overall turnover has grown from Rs 89.35 crore in 2018–19 to Rs 307 crore in 2025–26. Godinho further clarified that under the proposed framework, aggregators would have to pay the full gov ernment-notified fare directly to drivers or vehicle own ers without deducting commissions. Drivers would also be free to operate across multiple aggregator platforms or operate offline. Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, who had tabled the starred question, challenged the government’s posi tion by citing strong public opposition to the draft guide lines. He said the Transport Department had received 3,802 objections and suggestions to the draft Goa Transport Ag gregator guidelines, compared with only 290 letters sup porting them. “This shows that 83 per cent are opposing the draft aggregator guidelines,” Alemao said. Responding to the criticism, Godinho said all feedback was being carefully examined before the policy is finalised. “The feedback received is currently being systemat ically compiled and examined for consideration by the government before the finalisation and notification of the guidelines,” the minister said.
