Goa's skyrocketing taxi fares: A frequent traveller's opinion

Relying on cabs has given us headaches of epic proportions! We don’t care for negotiation generally.

BHPian suhaas307 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

I can’t say that I am from Goa. I am not a Goan. But as a family, we have been visiting Goa every year since I was 3 years old. This is because we have several close relatives in Goa, and our family deity / ancestral home is located in Ankola / Aversa, just 30 km south of the Goa border. We also undertake several pilgrimages to the umpteen temples located in the south of Goa on an annual basis. Therefore, in many ways, I consider Goa my second home.

Every time we visit Goa, I get this urge to uproot my life in Bangalore and move lock-stock to Goa. The people, the food, the roads, everything’s absolutely fantastic!

Of course, the last few years have left a slightly bitter taste in our mouths thanks to errant cabbies!

We have never had to rely on cabs for the longest time since we would embark on our pilgrimages to Goa in our own cars. However, the last few years we’ve had to rely on cabs since my parents cannot deal with the 10-12 hour one-way journey anymore.

Relying on cabs has given us headaches of epic proportions! We don’t care for negotiation generally. For us, convenience and comfort are priority. And while the cabs are generally clean and well maintained, the costs are becoming prohibitive. In a way, we’re happy that the money is going back into cab maintenance - thank heavens for small mercies!

While the locals may be happy with decline in tourism, they seem to forget the state’s economy is largely dependant on it. Sure, we can blame the State Government for arriving at these prohibitive taxi rates, but the Government is only doing what the Unions want it to do, lest we forget.

Paying 2x the cab rate is alright, but these unions have begun operating like a crime syndicate at this point, preventing taxis belonging to certain areas from being hailed at other areas, preying on tourists who have no option whatsoever but to hail cabs at prohibitive rates, and prevailing upon authorities by preventing the development of reliable local transportation so that the coffers of cabbies and their Unions are fattened. There is absolutely no justification for this appalling attitude.

I do understand the sentiment of the locals. Really, who would enjoy unruly tourists that refuse to respect locals and their lands? But this isn’t the way to regulate the issue.

Reading the experience faced by the OP triggered me to share my thoughts on this subject. Unruly behaviour by cabbies (something that we have faced too) is the proverbial straw that broke the camels back.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.