PANJIM: Amid opposition to government’s proposal to introduce app-based cab aggregators, Goa’s largest stakeholder – Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has extended its support to the government urging that the Ola and Uber cab services should be allowed to operate with police protection.
“Across the world, technology is being used in the field of passenger transport. App based taxis have become popular and it has transformed the transport industry in a seismic manner. They bring about transparency, convenience, are more price efficient and give the consumer greater freedom of choice. This has resulted in the market being more efficient,” TTAG President Nilesh Shah said in a press statement on Wednesday.
Stating that State’s first GoaMiles app-based cab service has incorporated over 1500 taxis resulting in local employment, the association lamented that their operations have been hampered by hooliganism and physical force adopted by some local taxi unions with political backing.
“The government should take a strong stand against such behaviour and fully support everyone’s right to free business. Ola and Uber should be allowed to operate in Goa with full police protection for their operations. However certain unethical practices adopted by such app based taxi operators such as under-pricing and over-pricing during certain periods should be regulated,” he urged the government.
While all App based taxi operators should as far as possible onboard local taxi drivers in their systems as taxis are a great source of employment for locals, TTAG President also requested the government to conduct an audit to inquire into total number of Goans having individual taxis, how many drivers from outside the State are employed, and how many family members of any government department own a taxi.
