This story is from September 24, 2018

With HC taking up taxi issue, tourists may hope for relief

With HC taking up taxi issue, tourists may hope for relief
PANAJI: Tourists in Goa will get relief from exorbitant fares charged by taxi drivers in view of stern action taken by the high court of Bombay at Goa that is monitoring the implementation of digital meters.
Last week, the court imposed costs of Rs 10,000 on the government for a delay in the matter, which is to be recovered from the “officer concerned”. The writ petition has been pending in the court for some years now with the government dilly dallying the process.
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) and Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) that jointly filed the petition in 2016 in the ‘interest of tourism and tourists in Goa’ have welcomed the government’s move to float fresh tenders and expedite the process.

This is not the first petition that the tourism association has filed on the issue. Frustrated over the behaviour of taxi drivers stopping coaches taking guests to and from hotels, the association had moved the court many years ago. The court had then asked the association to sit with taxi drivers and try and sort out the issue amicably.
“We got natural relief with the first petition as the taxi drivers got afraid and began behaving themselves when they heard the matter reached the high court. However, after some years, the problem started again. We got fed up with the government not taking any action, police not cooperating and things getting out of hands with taxi drivers stopping coaches and harassing our tourists,” said TTAG president Savio Messias.

The 2016 petition prays for an order directing the government to strictly implement Rule 140 of the Goa Motor Vehicles Rules, 1991, of fitting motor cabs with fare meters.
GCCI president Sandip Bhandare said the chamber found that the taxi issue was bringing a bad name to the state and was important enough for it to join TTAG in filing the petition. “A tourist’s first interface in the state is with a taxi driver and if there’s no meter they feel they are being fleeced. A meter indicates the distance travelled and prescribed government rates to be charged. Why should a simple measure like this which brings in transparency be resisted by drivers?” Bhandare said.
“We want the drivers to grow and understand that if you expand the whole pie there will be more volume and better business for everyone. We understand the economics and want the taxi drivers to get a better deal. But they cannot do this at the cost of consumer satisfaction,” he said, adding that taxis won’t have to charge return fares once meters come in, making it economical for not only tourists but locals too to avail of their services.
Bhandare said the government should help taxi drivers and subsidize the cost of meters and consider this as a tourism promotion measure.
Only a few days ago, police had to be called after taxi drivers stopped vehicles hired by an event manager in Calangute. “The situation is getting from bad to worse,” Messias said. He said taxi drivers were asked to form an organization and be united but this hasn’t happened. “Often tenders for big events, including BRICS, Lusofonia Games and AFC tournament, are given to contractors from out of the state as there is nobody who can supply hundreds of vehicles,” Messias said.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA