Not everybody is complaining about fuel price hikes as private bike rentals rise
It is a classic case of Goan enterprise. Invest in a bike,rent it out and let it pay for itself. Living in a tourism hub, bike rentalidea is a success story for many Goans who have gained financial independence.The bike rental venture is something that every Goan house has got into.According to data from the Department of Tourism, Goa receives more than 26lakh tourists annually. The rent a bike comes in handy for visitors, sparingthem from paying hefty sums for tourist taxis in the state, which operatewithout a meter. According to the transport department figures there are about14,000 bikes registered in the state under the rent-a-bike scheme. Butaccording to sources, “There are more than 5,000 bikes in Panjim alone that arebeing hired out illegally.”
Despite petrol prices being hiked nearly six-seven times inthe past year, the business of renting a bike has not been affected. “Businessis usual. There is no adverse effect as the price of petrol in Goa is cheaperin comparison to other states” says Pramod Naik who has been in the businesssince 1988. He claims to be the first one in Panjim to begin the business. Fortourists visiting the state, hiring the yellow bike falls cheaper than hiring acar as it is available for anything between Rs 200 to Rs 1,500 depending on thebike and the season. Khyati Kale, an entrepreneur from Mumbai, who travelsregularly to Goa for business said, “I prefer to hire an Activa and move aroundthe state. It fits my budget and since the price of petrol is much lower thanMumbai I am able to make the most of my trip.”
Another hiccup for the rent-a-bike business is the recentefforts by the government to have a moratorium on the number of vehiclesregistered under the scheme. This move is amidst the rising number of bikesbeing rented out to tourists visiting the state. Those in the business claimthat it is a pressure tactic from taxi operators, who claim to have beenaffected because of the rise in the number of these bikes. According to sources, “Taxi operators have inthe past demanded a ceiling on the number of vehicles permitted in the state.”
Naik said, “The police have already had a series of meetingswith those engaged in the business of renting two-wheelers. They have asked usto exercise caution while renting out our bikes to tourists and unknown people.”We have been asked by the police to maintain the identity details of thetourists on a register and produce them on demand to the police, he saiddisplaying an A4 sheet with the format given. The police have also insistedthat the bike operators insist on proof of identity from their customers as itwill give police vital information if they have to track down anybody.
