Goa govt firm on starting app-based cab services: Minister

Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho has said the state government is firm on introducing app-based cab services and will not bow down to pressure from the private taxi lobby which is against it.

Godinho was addressing the ongoing monsoon session of the Goa Legislative Assembly on Tuesday night. The private taxi operators have been opposing the app-based cab services, claiming it will destabilise their business.

Godinho said the taxi operators were opposing the government’s decision every time (it plans to introduce the app-based service). ”This is a tourist state and this time we can’t allow Goa to get a bad name due to the conduct of these taxi operators,” he said.

He was responding to the motion on grants for the transport department and during the discussion, some of the opposition MLAs, including Goa Forward Party legislator Vijai Sardesai, objected to the government’s invitation to cab aggregators like Ola and Uber to the state.

The minister said all taxi operators are not opposing the concept of app-based services. A few of them are instigating others against it, he added.

The Goa government will take the taxi operators into confidence before introducing the app-based cab services in the state, he said.

The opposition members said the introduction of app-based cab services should not hamper the existing taxi business, which is one of the oldest tourism-related activity in the coastal state.