the goan I network
VASCO
Claiming that the taxi association should have served a notice period before going on a strike and inconveniencing tourists, the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) on Friday said the taxi strike was well contained by the government as KTC buses were pressed into service and GTDC also arranged some buses to ferry passengers to and from Dabolim airport.
Speaking to The Goan, TTAG President Savio Messias also said an app-based taxi service like GoaMiles was the need of the hour in the State.
“The taxi association should have served a notice period before going on a strike and causing inconveniences to tourist, especially since taxi operators are also stakeholders in the tourism industry.”
“The taxi association decided to go into a strike late at night causing inconvenience to passengers,” said Messias.
He claimed that though tourists were inconvenienced due to the taxi strike, “the effect of the strike was well contained by the government.”
“KTC buses were pressed into service and GTDC also arranged some buses to ferry passengers to and from the airport. I had also spoken to hotels in South Goa and requested them to adjust some passengers in their coaches from airport. In such times, the industry becomes united and works together.”
“The KTC have done a great job by pressing buses from Dabolim airport to various important locations in Goa. We shifted around 300 passengers in the morning and there are plenty of buses here. Buses are also bringing passengers to the airport. Finally in the afternoon, GTDC also arranged buses and things were under control,” said Messias.
Thanking Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and other legislators for remaining firm on their stand, the TTAG president said an app-based taxi service is required for Goa. “Other states also use services of Ola, Uber, etc and these are taxis not only for tourists but for locals as well,” said Messias.
“It’s always better to have 2-3 players in the field to avoid monopoly and to promote healthy competition. In Delhi or other cities, there is Ola, Uber, Zoom or other taxi service platform with different categories of cars to choose from and the competition is good.”
“We have competition in airlines and hotels and everywhere else, hence we also need to have competition in the transportation area,” added Messias.
