Taxi owners have come for sharp criticism for overcharging during the peak season with helpless tourists forced to submit to their demands.
Conceding that they inflate fares during the peak holiday period, cab driver Naresh Chawan questioned why restrictions are imposed on them when other stakeholders such as hotels, airlines and inter-state buses also overprice. “Nobody questions why the airline companies and inter-state bus operators shoot up their charges during the peak season. Why are the tourist taxis targeted?” he asked.
“The flight rates rose significantly during the last few days of the year but no one questioned the airline companies. The inter-state buses had also doubled their rates,” he alleged.
Co-taxi operator Anand Ponjikar seconded Chawan’s views asking whether they do not have the right to earn like others. “Are we stealing someone’s money? No, we are charging extra because the situation demands it. There is lot of traffic on the roads and we not only have to spend extra travel time but also spend on fuel,” he stated.
General Secretary of The North Goa Taxi Owners Association Vinayak Nanoskar asked complaining tourists not to visit the State when they fail to understand ‘genuine issues’ faced by the taxi operators. “It takes us six hours from Calangute to Dabolim airport and around 2-3 hours from Calangute to Baga. Who will pay for the fuel? We (over) charge but it is for a reason that we do,” he said, adding that shifting of the electronic dance music festivals to another venue did not hamper tourist inflow into the State. “There was heavy vehicular traffic everywhere during the last few days of the New Year. We don’t want tourists who complain without understanding our situation,” he said.
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) and the industry had recently moved the High Court of Bombay at Goa seeking installation of taxi meters and upgrading the technology on the lines with online cab booking service, to prevent taxi operators from fleecing tourists.
“It is surprising that they overcharge all round the year and still charge extra during the peak season. A taxi policy is a must to curtail the practice. We have sought for installation of meters and bringing latest technology like GPS, online payment, etc,” TTAG President Savio Messias said. The petition that has Goa government and Transport department as respondents apprehends that tourists arriving in the State for Carnival might face a similar situation. The petition is expected to come up for admission in the last week of the month.
However, a GTDC official, off the record, said that passengers wishing to travel from Dabolim airport should make use of the prepaid taxi service as their tariffs are fixed.
