PANAJI: The Transport department has decided to permit a taxi association to also run a rent-a-car service in a bid to assuage frayed tempers of the cabbies upset with loss of business because the authorities have been liberally allowing such services.
Sources in the Transport department said a rent-a-car licence will be issued to the North Goa Tax Drivers Association on Monday. The decision was conveyed to representatives of the association on Friday at a meeting with the Transport Director.
An office-bearer of the taxi association confirmed that they will obtain the licence to operate on Monday. A pool of some 70-odd cars will be available with the association for the service where clients will be leased the vehicles for self-drive use, he said.
The numerically strong associations of taxi drivers have historically opposed government moves to introduce modes of public transport in a bid to improve services crucial for the tourism sector.
They have in the past resorted to violent methods of protest against companies attempting to introduce app-based taxi services including the one recently launched by the State-owned Goa Tourism Development Corporation - Goa Miles.
