The opening of the blue taxi stand at Mopa, and the closing of it within two hours ,is symptomatic of the malaise in the taxi industry in Goa. It has transpired that the Assistant Director of Transport, Pernem, at whose hands the Blue Taxi counter was inaugurated, suddenly realized (or was made to realize) that the documents for opening the counter were incomplete.
Goa is an important tourist destination. Unfortunately, it is probably the only city without access to Uber/Ola among other such aggregator services. All the more reason, the existing taxi service must be streamlined. I suggest that the transport department put out an official notice giving the number of vehicles of each operator (Blue, Black or whatever).
The fare of each operator from Mopa to important destination like Mapusa, Panjim, Calangute, Margao must be clearly stated. In addition the Transport Department must also publish the Kadamba bus time table from Mopa and Dabolim to and from important places. The above official notification must be published in all publications in Goa and also some cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and neighboring states, so that tourists can make an informed choice at the airport. This information must also be available on bill boards at all important destinations and beaches. These suggestions will go a long way in improving the image of Goa’s infamous public transport system.
