PANJIM: Against the backdrop of harassment and assault cases registered against some taxi operators, the tourist taxi associations on Wednesday made a futile attempt to meet Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) chairman Dayanand Sopte to demand scrapping of the Goa Miles app.
Members of different taxi associations had gathered at the GTDC office on Wednesday but their appointment was postponed for the third time. “Goa is the only State in the country wherein government is promoting app-based taxis, at the cost of our livelihood. It should shut down the service and instead support us because we expect government to protect our daily earnings,” South Goa Tourist Taxi Association president Vincy Carvalho told reporters outside Paryatan Bhavan.
A member of the Ponda Taluka Tourist Taxi Association claimed that the problem between them and the Goa Miles drivers emerged due to the app supported by GTDC. “We don’t indulge in any fights with the Goa Miles drivers instead they don’t allow us to ply to different places with our passengers. To solve the ongoing issue, we have been repeatedly requesting GTDC for a meeting but in vain,” he said.
“We are almost out of business which is why we came to meet Sopte but the appointment has been once again postponed. We are only asking to sort out the problem between the tourist taxis and the Goa Miles app, else the fight will continue,” he stated. The GTDC Chairman is expected to meet the aggrieved tourist taxi operators on Monday.
