PANAJI: There will be no respite for tourists arriving in Goa especially if you are coming from cities where taxis have meters. The state tourism minister Wilfred de Souza's order to fix meters on tourist taxis by February 1, has received a thumbs down from the Goa Tourist Taxi Association (GOTTA).
According to the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), central Goa has 1015 registered taxis, north Goa 2100 and the south 1800. The peculiar aspect about Goa is that the regular black and yellow taxis are largely outnumbered by other taxis.
The other abnormality is the singular lack of return fare because locals in Goa do not use cabs, preferring instead to use public or private transport. Thus taxi-drivers are solely dependant on the tourists.
"We are attached to hotels and do not stand at taxi bays like elsewhere in the world. Why is the government raising this issue with us, when it is the hotels that pre-determine the fares," says GOTTA President Kennedy Goes.
TTAG president Charles Bonifacio told DNA that he petitioned to the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court to direct the state government to order a rational fare structure, ensure that every trade had the right to do business and ensure that tour operators were not obstructed in the future.
Director of Transport R Mihir Vardhan told DNA, "Metered fares are universal, that is the issue. The issue is also, what is the fare? Metering avoids the inevitable argument passengers always have with taxi drivers."
However, GOTTA president Kennedy Goes gave his reasons for opposing the government decision. "We buy high-end cars like Honda City, Hyundai Accent and Toyota Corolla because of the demand from foreign tourists, as opposed to the standard Rs 3.5 lakh taxi on the road. How do you expect us to recover our costs if we are metered? Why not meter tourist buses also?" he said.
Joey Viegas, owner of Panaji's Joeys Car Rentals said, "What is fair for the rest of the world, just does not work here because we are entirely tourist dependent and completely short of return fares. When hotels/airlines hike their prices in December, no one protests."
Now, a meeting between the government and GOTTA has been scheduled for January 25, but it seems certain that tourists can look forward to another long argumentative summer.
Head count
No of registered taxis: Central Goa: 1015 taxis, North Goa: 2100 taxis. South-Goa: 1800. The peculiar aspect about Goa is that regular black and yellow taxis are largely outnumbered by coloured taxis.
The other peculiar aspect is that tourist taxis don't always get a return fare, because they are absolutely dependent on tourists. Ordinary citizens in Goa prefer public transport or two-wheelers over cabs.
