[TusharK]

The Government of Goa is set to launch its own app-based taxi service called Goamiles next month. The service will be available for a few important tourist destinations in the state.



According to the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), the mobile app is currently in its final stages of testing and about 2,800 licensed taxi drivers have shown interest in joining the service. It will be the first app-based taxi service in the state, which is expected to improve the public transportation system.

Earlier, local taxi operators had opposed attempts made by online cab aggregators like Ola and Uber to set up their business in the state.

Source: NDTV

Link to Team-BHP News

[Rehaan]

When I saw the title of this thread I thought : It's never going to work.

Why? Because the taxi union in Goa is just too powerful.

However - after seeing that it's going to be run by the GA government - me =

Very interesting!


Depending on the scale of this - it might hit the "taxi" business in Goa pretty hard.

Right now the fine print seems to be "for a few important tourist destinations".


Just for reference:

A regulated & pre-paid taxi from the airport to a destination 50 kms away costs roughly Rs. 1,300.

Comparatively, a "taxi" to a place 15 kms away will probably charge you Rs. 800-1000+ in medium season.

Let's see if / how Goamiles changes that.

[arvind71181]

High time this happens. The taxi unions in the state were atrocious when I visited. Since this is backed by the Government, it will probably survive the cartel.

Hope the important destinations are covered though

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The Government of Goa is set to launch its own app-based taxi service called Goamiles next month.

The picture is of another scheme of Taxis for female passengers with female drivers. The scheme flopped.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Why? Because the taxi union in Goa is just too powerful.
However - after seeing that it's going to be run by the GA government
Depending on the scale of this - it might hit the "taxi" business in Goa pretty hard.

The Taxi union will still control this. Prices will be the same as those currently being quoted by the Taxis. The high prices of taxis in Goa are the "Official" government rates. So it's Government approved looting.

[Rehaan]

Thinking about it some more, this might actually be a brilliant move by the government.

Why have Uber and Ola when you can create your own taxi aggregator and reap the benefits!

They'll start off small (few drivers, few destinations) and then slowly scale up.

In a case like this (expensive taxis in goa), there's no doubt that customer demand will be extremely HIGH.


The question is:

How are they going to fulfill supply, given that taxi drivers can easily earn 2-3x as much if they quote their own fares.


To answer my own question:

1) Minimum downtime thanks to technology. Right now the average Goa taxi driver spends (enjoys??) several hours a day just standing around asking people if they want a taxi. Having an app that instantly connects him to a customer will optimize his business.

2) Maximum efficiency thanks to technology. Ever had a Goa taxi driver drop you off at the airport? He'll always cry about coming back empty in order to justify the fare. With an app, he'd easily be matched to a passenger who wants to head back to the area he's going.

3) Government policy. Goa already has an extremely low number of taxi licenses (yellow plates) being handed out monthly. This is also apparently the reason so many rental agencies in Goa give out cars with white plates. The government could crack down on this further, and then ramp up the enforcement of the misuse of private cars.

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

Prices will be the same as those currently being quoted by the Taxis.

The pre-paid ones I mentioned are - and those prices are fine by me.

I'm talking about un-metered tourist taxis here.

Which ones are you talking about? Does Goa have metered taxis?

[blackwasp]

Good move IMHO. These taxi unions take most tourists for a ride () especially if you are new or not familiar with Goa. This has lead to a spurt in white plate taxis (self drive cars) ~very grey area and I would never advice this.

On most of my trips to Goa, a very close acquaintance of my aunt (co-incidentally who runs a taxi business) gives me one of the 3-4 white plate WagonR's he owns for the stay duration. According to him, the union is strong enough to interfere if you are not a member and there is a flat amount you have to pay per yellow board car that you own. This has forced him to keep these white plate cars which he rents out to only close customers. With rentals as low as Rs. 800 bucks a day + actuals on fuel, it is a fraction of what some others charge.

I think its high time the govt. comes up with ways to undermine the strong unions. They are not really working for anyone's benefit other than the leaders.

[9thsphinx]

Not sure about other states, but what a royal pain it is to manage the "Taxi" part of your visit to Goa! While Goa is no-doubt beautiful as a tourist destination, the challenge has always been on how best to move around.

It has been years and I have come to understand that everyone who has visited Goa have faced with some hurdle to either arrange a taxi, negotiate decent prices or arrange a self-drive one!

Finally, things are moving in the right direction and rightly so. With global tourism on the rise and Goa being a hot-favorite and rightly so, it was apt that the Government step in and lay down some ground rules on how this needs to be handled professionally.

With an app based Taxi service at least there would be a dependable system in place to move around without worrying about dealing with rude, often impolite and so-full-of-it Taxi drivers.

With that said, with the experiences we have had in the past, I have a strong feeling that an app for Taxis might just fail to take off in this part of the country!

[caramit]

This news is big relief for the Indian tourist. I just hope it becomes successful.
We have got so used to OLA and UBER in India and then suddenly we pay top dollar and book a vacation in Goa and realize that haggling with roadside Taxi walas outside each resort comes free with the vacation. No OLA, UBER there which is OK, but no control on ride charges results in a syndicate monopoly.

The resorts charge a fortune themselves and the cab service nexus must have made taxi millionaires by now. I am surprised ET has not done a feature on them yet.
Any app based service is welcome.

Sometimes they say small states are easier to govern but then in such states each lobby tries to influence decision making and makes normal necessities like app based taxi service etc a voter/segemt/nexus livelihood issue and get away with it.

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Ever had a Goa taxi driver drop you off at the airport? He'll always cry about coming back empty in order to justify the fare.

The official fare stipulated by the government already includes the return fare. So if he gets a return passenger it's a bonus for him.

Government policy. Goa already has an extremely low number of taxi licenses (yellow plates) being handed out monthly.

There are 2 types of taxis. The Tourist Taxis (generally white colour) and the Yellow and Black. All Taxis are allowed to drop you to the airport but from the airport you are only allowed to book a Yellow and Black. Unless of course you call a Tourist Taxi.

This is also apparently the reason so many rental agencies in Goa give out cars with white plates.

Rental Cars / Bikes are Black Plates with Yellow Numbers. Different from Taxis.

The pre-paid ones I mentioned are - and those prices are fine by me.

I'm talking about un-metered tourist taxis here.

Which ones are you talking about? Does Goa have metered taxis?

Goa does not have metered Taxis. Either prepaid at the airport or there is a per km rate displayed inside the car.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

This has lead to a spurt in white plate taxis (self drive cars) ~very grey area and I would never advice this.

On most of my trips to Goa, a very close acquaintance of my aunt (co-incicently who runs a taxi business) gives me one of the 3-4 white plate WagonR's he owns for the stay duration. According to him, the union is strong enough to interfere if you are not a member and there is a flat amount you have to pay per yellow board car that you own. This has forced him to keep these white plate cars which he rents out to only close customers. With rentals as low as Rs. 800 bucks a day + actuals on fuel, it is a fraction of what some others charge.

White plate rentals are illegal. Of course you can tell the cops that it's a friends car you have borrowed. The rates for official self drive cars is the same as you have mentioned for white plate cars.

I think its high time the govt. comes up with ways to undermine the strong unions. They are not really working for anyone's benefit other than the leaders.

Don't expect this app to bring down the rates. The rates you pay after using the app are controlled by the same Taxi Union - Government Nexus. In the absence of Uber/Ola/Meru they are still free to charge whatever they like as they will have a monopoly.

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

With an app based Taxi service at least there would be a dependable system in place to move around without worrying about dealing with rude, often impolite and so-full-of-it Taxi drivers.

How will the app change the rude and impolite attitude of the drivers?

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

There are 2 types of taxis. The Tourist Taxis (generally white colour) and the Yellow and Black. ... Unless of course you call a Tourist Taxi.

As a tourist, after taking a yellow-black from the airport (if at all), there's a low chance we'll even see another such taxi.

When tourists talk about taxis in Goa, I think we all mean the Tourist Taxis with their incredibly volatile fares -- and this app should really help prevent us from getting ripped off there.

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

...or there is a per km rate displayed inside the car.

Example: Have been to Goa about 30 times and didn't even know about this!

Guess it's more the case around the populated cities rather than out at the beaches.

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

Don't expect this app to bring down the rates. The rates you pay after using the app are controlled by the same Taxi Union - Government Nexus.

To reiterate -- am fine with the fixed per-km rate, as I'm sure most other tourists are.

It's the inflatable rate with no reference point that most tourists have to deal with which is the painful part!

This app being technology based will completely concretize the cost of travel.

For a local like you, this service probably doesn't bring any cost benefit -- but perhaps it might bring a convenience benefit.

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

To reiterate -- am fine with the fixed per-km rate, as I'm sure most other tourists are.

It's the inflatable rate with no reference point that most tourists have to deal with which is the painful part!

For a local like you, this service probably doesn't bring any cost benefit -- but perhaps it might bring a convenience benefit.

Well you will probably pay less if hailing a taxi at a hotel or at the taxi stand. But you will still be paying more than double of what you would pay with Ola or Uber. You are still being looted but maybe to a slightly lesser extent.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

Don't expect this app to bring down the rates. The rates you pay after using the app are controlled by the same Taxi Union - Government Nexus. In the absence of Uber/Ola/Meru they are still free to charge whatever they like as they will have a monopoly.

How will the app change the rude and impolite attitude of the drivers?

This is the crux of the issue. We're already seeing this with the Ola/Uber drivers here in Bangalore, they have started behaving like auto drivers- refusing trips, accepting and cancelling, making fuss to pick up a friend along the way, disappearing during the rains. And almost every week you hear a new report of some driver misbehaving considerably worse with a passenger.

If it's the same sort of people who are ultimately providing the service, an app is really not going to make too much of a difference.

Been going to Goa as a tourist every year since college days, almost 20 years. Can't see the taxi unions hold being broken by something as simple as an app. How something as important as transport can be held to ransom by a special interest group is always amazing to behold.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Minimum downtime thanks to technology. Right now the average Goa taxi driver spends (enjoys??) several hours a day just standing around asking people if they want a taxi. Having an app that instantly connects him to a customer will optimize his business.

Downtime is not the problem. Like our Bengaluru auto drivers, most taxi guys don't really worry about downtime. Only the new entrants to the business or those who sub-lease a taxi/auto will work hard. The majority would rather overcharge a couple of trips to make the minimum amount the auto owner demands and a bit more, and then lounge around for the rest of the day, rather than make more trips for a fair rate. And to protect this way of life, it's in their interest to block any form of competition from 'outside'.

[AKTRACK]

Taxis in Goa have always been a scam. The drivers won't even bother to lift and load the luggage in the boot, so much is the arrogance.

I believe the net outflow from your pocket remains the same in Goa - what you save on booze you spend on the taxis.

Tourism in Goa is well regulated. Don't know why they let the taxi wallahs have a field day. Like someone said - When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.

[moralfibre]

The government is building this because the local taxi mafia (they aren't unions) want to control the market. Their menace hasn't even spared native Goenkars who are quite harrowed by the lack of transportation options.

The right approach for the govt would have been to introduce shuttles to major tourist towns by a Volvo or similar. People would be happy to dish out anywhere between Rs. 100 to 300/- bucks to say hit Candolim from the airport.

My take is that none of these govt developed app based taxi services will work because the quality of their portals gives away what we'll end up seeing. For example: Goa govt run Kadamba transport's online booking service looks like this - http://goakadamba.com/

Finally, their own Biogas buses which were given by Scania are lying in the dumps from what I heard - thread link..

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

The right approach for the govt would have been to introduce shuttles to major tourist towns by a Volvo or similar.

There is a Volvo / Corona Bus from Calangute to Airport and back via Panjim.