With the much-talked-about Goa Taxi App struggling to find its bearings, the government has pressed in the services of six electric KTC (Kadamba Transport Corporation) buses to operate on popular routes from January 5. It is an embarrassment that a Greenfield airport that boasts of world-class amenities and refinements has a very unsettled transport system. On the eve of the opening, the Goa Miles, a handful of taxis registered under the GTDC app and the six KTC buses are expected to be in service.
The Goa Taxi App, an application primarily for registration of drivers, has been largely rejected by taximen over the fear that the government is assuming control, while on the other side, the government has turned down requests for a yellow-and-black taxi counter at the airport. Constant negotiations to broker a breakthrough have failed, leaving a vacuum in the transportation system at the airport.
Against the promise of giving the land losers of Pernem a priority, we don’t understand the rationale of denying a yellow-and-black counter for taxis for Pednekars. The argument that these are outdated services and should not be part of the modern airport is against the very concept of Swayampurna Goa, and we wonder what’s the allergy to the yellow-and-black colour that a new blue cab concept is being floated. Even the rider of capping vehicles in a particular system is unreasonable and defies the logic of any fair transport system.
Mopa was bracing up for the January 5 take-off from November, and the vexed taxi issue should have been sorted much earlier to facilitate ease of transport. The increase in passenger traffic with the arrival of international flights should have been enough reason for seriousness on the issue. The confidence that both Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte exuded over breaking the taxi deadlock now proves hollow and unjustified.
Confronting the taxi lobbies at Mopa and leaving the issue hanging could have drastic consequences along the lines of the fracas recently witnessed at the Mormugao Port. The government cannot take chances at an international airport because any flare-up or violence triggered on the taxi issue will have a far-reaching and damaging impact on Goa’s tourism.
The bottom line is that there should be robust transportation facilities at the airport, and it is for the government to decide how to implement that. The government has the right to take control of the system, but the irony is the inherent reluctance.
In the situation that the State is in now, there has to be Plan B at hand. The introduction of buses is an excellent move and should be mobilised further. There are bus services even at international airports providing economic fares and seamless movement of travellers. There is always a choice at the hands of travellers. In such testing times, the bus concept should be taken forward with more such buses introduced, and frequency increased proportionately to the air traffic.
In the longer run, the government must ensure that the system is not held to ransom by anyone.
