MARGAO: The State taxi operators on Monday condemned the statement made by Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho about launching Ola and Uber in State to provide affordable taxi services to the tourists and locals.
At a public meeting attended by leaders of taxi unions from across the coastal belt at Benaulim. The taxi operators claimed that the tourists themselves insist on not using digital meters.
They further claimed that most of the tourists who come from metro cities namely Mumbai know how taxis and autos, which run on meters, take the customers for a ride by taking longer routes. Another taxi owner warned that the Transport Minister will be responsible if the educated youth become gangsters once Ola and Uber are brought here.
The Minister was criticised for not solving the issues faced by the taxi owners and drivers in Goa and yet wanting to bring in Ola and Uber, which could make most of them bankrupt.
The taxi operators also complained about how the government always brings in taxis from outside Goa instead of employing local taxis for big events that are held in the State.
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas was also present and criticised the choice of Mauvin as the Minister given his failures in his previous stint as the Transport Minister.
“We the stakeholders of tourist taxi associations on the coastal belt provide taxi service to the 5 Star and medium hotels along the coast and our livelihoods depend on the taxi business in the local areas. We are only earning our livelihood and not doing ‘dadagiri’ as the minister claims. We are self-employed and plying taxis to the 5 Star hotel tourists is our only business,” read a joint statement by the taxi operators, who wanted to respond to Godinho’s allegations.
“We also have a taxi stand outside the hotel and therefore provide the tourist taxi service as and when and to wherever required. We also display the rates to the tourists and organise tours to different destinations. Therefore, the question of installation of meters doesn’t arise,” they added in their statement.
“The minister also claims that he has the support across all political party lines. Venzy Viegas, the Benaulim MLA is in support of the tourist taxi associations in the coastal belt. In his statement he has specifically mentioned that a separate model needs to be adopted by the government before taking any step on app-based taxis,” they added.
