PANAJI
Opposing moves by the government to introduced app-based taxi services like Ola and Uber in the State, taxi owners said there is a need for the government to sit across the table before taking any decisions in the matter.
Further, the taxi owners said they are willing to operate their taxis on meters as the government has been demanding all along.
Speaking to reporters at Azad Maidan on Monday, president of All Goa Taxi Owners Association Chetan Kamat informed that till date, they have met all the conditions set by the Transport department.
“Be it setting up of speed governors to installation of meters, we have done everything that was asked of us. Then why is the government speaking about introduction of app-based taxis?” Kamat posed while questioning the rationale behind the move.
“The government introduced GoaMiles but it failed and the fate of app-based taxi services will also be the same. The government is unnecessarily wasting the exchequer’s money on such experiments,” he charged.
Further, Kamat said taxi owners need to be taken into confidence before introduction of any taxi services. “We can sit across the table and chalk out a solution,” he stated.
A taxi owner Yogesh Govekar said they are opposing app-based taxi services as they are meant only for metropolitan areas.
“The chief minister himself said that GoaMiles, an app-based taxi service, was a failure. When the government knows that app-based taxi services are not feasible, then why is it going ahead with such initiatives?” Govekar wondered.
“The government wants to destroy our traditional business and hand it over to cab aggregators like Ola and Uber, which will bring 25,000 families on the roads. Therefore, we request the government to rethink on the issue and not introduce app-based taxi services in the State,” he said.
“We are willing to operate our taxis on meters,” Govekar added.
Another taxi owner, Rohan Khandolkar, stated that a solution to the imbroglio can be achieved by sitting across the table.
“We have been asking for a dialogue in the matter. Two years back, we had a fruitful meeting with the transport minister who had assured to resolve the issue. So, we request the government to initiate a dialogue with us so that the issue is resolved once and forever,” Khandolkar.
On the statements made that the taxi owners are looting the tourists, Khandolkar clarified that the rates fixed by the Transport Department are based on cubic capacity (cc) of the vehicles rather than the seating capacity.
“This results in prices differing for different class of vehicles for the same distance, due to which allegations of overcharging are being made,” he pointed out.
“It is the duty of the Transport Department to correct the discrepancies,” Khandolkar added.
