PANAJI
With the government inclined to invite app-based aggregators Ola and Uber into Goa, local taxi drivers opposed to the move got a morale booster in the Goa legislative assembly with legislators including a couple from the treasury benches supporting their stand against bringing in the app-based taxi aggregators.
Several MLAs, including a couple from the ruling side, debunked the government's stand of painting the local taxi operators as rogues who overcharge and fleece the tourists.
The ruling BJP's Taleigao MLA, Jennifer Monserrate was among those who said that the app-based aggregators were an outdated model and it would be injustice to let them operate in Goa elbowing out the local operators from the competition.
The Congress' Aldona MLA, Carlos Ferreira Alvares, said he himself had experience of using Uber and Ola and warned that once they enter the market the government will have no control or regulatory mechanism to check the excesses and illegalities they commit.
"They may be some black sheep among the local taxi operators who overcharge and make a quick buck. There are one or two black sheep in every profession and sector. Even in our families sometimes there are black sheep but you cannot paint the entire lot black," Alvares said.
Several MLAs including the Congress' Altone D'Costa, Yuri Alemao and Delilah Lobo, also said that the local taxi operators generally act as the best ambassadors of Goa tourism.
They said several of them had long term relationship with tourists who come to Goa repeatedly and offer services beyond the call of duty trustworthily and with utmost sincerity to their clients.
On the question of taxi drivers not using the digital meters fitted, several MLAs explained that most of the times it was at the instance of the tourists themselves who prefer to be charged on a fixed-rate basis instead of by the meter.
Another issue that several MLAs raised was the difference of rates between petrol and diesel vehicles on digital meters.
Alvares explained that the same model petrol vehicle has a lower rate while the diesel vehicle had a higher rate and it was one of the reasons why people feel that the taxi drivers overcharge.
Explaining, Alvares said, if a family hires two taxis, one petrol and one diesel, the final fare for the same route will be different and they will feel that one has overcharged.
Most of these legislators demanded that the resolution of the issue, which is a long-pending one, has to have some finality and urged the government to take everybody on board before taking a final decision.
