PANJIM: Tourist taxi owners have alleged that the taxi app, GoaMiles, is functioning illegally and it does not have the permission of the Transport Department, even as the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has claimed it as its initiative.
Association of Tourist Taxi Owners Goa (ATTOG) President Sunil Naik addressing the media stated that the GoaMiles taxi app is functioning illegally in the State.
“At the Goa Airport they call it government app. Under the RTI we had sought information from the Transport Department and the department has informed that they have not permitted any app for taxi in the State. There is no government app as per the department information,” he stated.
Naik further said that the GoaMiles App is being promoted as a Goan App but in reality the owner of the app is Pune based and does not benefit Goan taxi drivers.
“We are being made slaves to technology and will have to depend on the app owners even for our hard earned money. Here we get the money directly in our hands from the customers,” he added.
Stating that despite holding the additional charge of Managing Director of GTDC, he said that the Transport Director has misled the Court and compromised the interests of the taxi owners in a petition filed by the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG).
Refuting the allegations that the tourist taxis in the State charge exorbitant prices, Naik said, “We follow the rates given to us by the government and we have not finalised these by ourselves sitting at home. We charge the customers as per the notified fares by the government. If we are accused of being robbers then it is the government which is robbing as the rates are set by the government.”
Responding to a query on the taxi fare meters, he said that the Central government notification does not mandate the All-India Permit taxis to fix fare meters.
