PANJIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said that taxi operators charge more than airfares for ferrying passengers from the airport to their destinations.
“People say that they pay Rs 5,500 for air tickets from Delhi to Goa but when they travel to Arambol from the airport then they have to shell out more money than the air ticket. This is not fair. If someone has to pay more than the airfare for travelling in a taxi then it is not good for us,” Sawant said.
“It would give room for bad publicity for us. We have to do business keeping in mind the next generation. We have to think over it if we have to protect Goa and tourism,” Sawant said, while launching new Goa taxi app.
Sawant said that the goal of the government is to attract quality tourists rather than numbers. The app would also help in reducing accidents and keeping women safe while travelling. “I encourage everyone to use the Goa Taxi App,’’ he said.
The Chief Minister appealed to taxi operators to join it if they were unwilling to join GoaMiles aggregator and to elevate travel experience.
“GoaMiles was supported by Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) when it began operations. Now the government has developed a Taxi App for those who do not want to join GoaMiles App. If tomorrow someone finds that they are not comfortable with Goa Taxi App, they can switch over to GoaMiles again.”
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said, “GoaMiles, being a private entity, can charge whatever they want but being a government, we charge fares as notified by the Directorate of Transport. The fare will include convenience fee, which will be shared by both - the government and taxi associations.”
Khaunte said that a call centrewill be available in the event of misbehaviour and also an SOS emergency centre for women.