PANAJI: Ahead of the deadline to submit grievances on the draft Transport Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, the State government has assured that outside taxi aggregators like Ola and Uber will not be introduced in Goa.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant gave this assurance following a meeting with Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, and representatives of various taxi unions today.
"There should be no confusion. Ola and Uber are not coming to Goa,” Sawant said. “We will work towards resolving the taxi issue by putting a system in place. All stakeholders, including taxi operators, hotel owners, and MLAs, will be taken into confidence before finalising anything.”
Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar said the central concern of taxi operators was the entry of outside aggregators. “Taxi operators are very clear that they do not want Ola and Uber in Goa. The CM has assured us that these companies will not be allowed. The government will instead bring in a system to ensure uniform, transparent rates and take everyone into confidence.”
Echoing this stance, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo urged that the current guidelines be put in abeyance. “The guidelines published in the Gazette have caused confusion and worry among taxi operators. These should be kept on hold for now. We need a system in place that benefits both locals and tourists,” Lobo said.
Lobo advocated for a transparent system with fixed, government-notified rates accessible via a mobile app. “We need a structure where there is no haggling. Apps can help show customers the correct rates, and there should be no room for last-minute inflated fares. Whatever rates are fixed should be point-to-point and publicly known.”
Taxi operators who participated in the meeting insisted that rates must be decided in consultation with them. “The Chief Minister assured us of a government-notified, point-to-point fare chart. We want this to happen only after our inputs are taken,” one of the operators said.
The Chief Minister is expected to convene a meeting with all coastal MLAs and concerned stakeholders to finalise the new localised taxi system.
The deadline to submit grievances on the draft policy is June 19
