Government and Taxi Drivers Must Arrive at a Solution — Goa Can’t Afford to Stall Progress

Goa has always prided itself on being India’s premier tourism destination. With its pristine beaches, vibrant culture, spiritual sanctuaries, nightlife, and heritage architecture, it draws over 8 million tourists annually, both domestic and international. Yet, beneath the palm-fringed postcards lies a festering problem that continues to dent our image globally — the taxi conundrum.

The issue is not new. It has been simmering for over a decade. But what was once a manageable disagreement has now turned into open hostility, often culminating in ugly confrontations between tourists and traditional taxi drivers. While the government continues to dither on a long-term solution, the ground reality is stark — Goa is lagging behind in adopting app-based taxi services, a technological shift that the rest of the country has already embraced.

Let’s be honest — app-based taxis are no longer a luxury, they are a necessity. And not just for tourists but for Goan residents too. In a digital age where convenience, cost-effectiveness, transparency, and safety are paramount, the absence of a structured app-based taxi system in Goa paints a poor picture of a state that claims to be progressive.

The Conflict on the Ground

Incidents of clashes between tourists and local taxi drivers are becoming disturbingly common. Just in the last tourist season (October 2024 to March 2025), several videos went viral where:

• A group of tourists from Delhi were harassed in Calangute for opting to use a private app-based taxi. The driver was forced to offload passengers mid-way after being blocked by local operators.
• In February 2025, a family from Bengaluru was surrounded by local taxi drivers at Candolim, with one member allegedly assaulted for filming the incident.
• There were at least two police complaints filed by tourists alleging that local drivers threatened them for refusing to accept inflated fare demands.

These are not isolated events. They are symptoms of a larger issue — a refusal to modernise and a government walking a political tightrope between appeasement and progress.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

• Goa currently has over 30,000 registered taxi operators — a majority of whom do not use meters and fix fares arbitrarily.
• Only about 2,500 taxis are registered under GoaMiles, the government-backed app-based taxi aggregator — a move that was met with massive resistance from traditional operators.
• According to a survey by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) in 2023, 81% of tourists expressed dissatisfaction with local transport, citing overcharging and unavailability as major concerns.
• Goa’s rating on transport convenience on TripAdvisor and Google travel reviews has consistently been below 3 stars in the past three years — an anomaly for a state that is otherwise highly rated for hospitality.

The App-Based Taxi Debate: The Reality Check

There is a misplaced narrative that app-based taxis will kill the livelihoods of traditional taxi drivers. That’s not true. Technology, when embraced correctly, creates opportunities — not replaces livelihoods.

A cab driver in Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru today earns more via Uber/Ola than they ever did in the pre-app era — because volume and ease of access increased.

Let’s understand what Goa truly needs:

1. Standardised Pricing: Tourists want to know what they are paying for. They are not looking to negotiate in the middle of the street.
2. Accountability & Ratings: App-based systems ensure driver conduct is monitored. It gives the passenger the power to leave feedback — positive or negative.
3. Safety & Tracking: GPS-tracking of rides offers assurance to solo women travellers and families with children.
4. Availability: During peak seasons and odd hours, app-based systems ensure cars can be summoned without the hassle of searching for one.
5. Resident Needs: Goans — especially the elderly, working professionals, and students — require an efficient, tech-driven transport option beyond the unreliability of rickshaws or inflexible taxi networks.

Government: The Reluctant Referee

The Goa government finds itself caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand is the need to modernise Goa’s tourism infrastructure, and on the other is the powerful taxi union lobby, which has, time and again, shown its muscle power.

Successive governments, irrespective of political affiliation, have failed to show spine. The GoaMiles initiative was a welcome start, but its implementation lacked will and breadth. Independent app operators like Uber and Ola have been kept at bay under the pretext of “protecting local interest,” when in truth, it is protectionism gone wrong.

The state cannot remain stuck in nostalgia while the rest of the world moves ahead. There must be a clear policy that mandates the following:

• Integration of all taxi drivers into licensed digital aggregator platforms with pre-decided fare slabs.
• GPS and meter-enabled cars as a non-negotiable requirement for anyone operating commercially.
• A unified app that allows both GoaMiles and private startups to coexist under strict state monitoring.
• Training programs for taxi drivers on customer service, language skills, and tech-literacy — funded partly by the tourism department.

A Way Forward — Not an Impasse

This is not about tourists versus taxi drivers. It’s not about locals versus outsiders. This is about Goa versus stagnation.

What if, instead of resisting change, taxi drivers were empowered with better tools, training, and digital literacy? What if their vehicles were fitted with GPS trackers sponsored by the government with a three-year digital compliance roadmap? What if Goan taxi unions partnered with a homegrown Goan app — transparent, fair, and efficient?

Progress does not mean abandoning the past — it means upgrading it.

The government must call for a special consultation roundtable involving:

• Taxi unions
• Tech app operators (including Uber, Ola, and Goa-based startups)
• Local residents’ associations
• Tourist department officials
• Consumer rights advocates

And from this roundtable must emerge a binding Transport Reform Policy 2025, aimed at transforming Goa into a smart, visitor-friendly destination that values both tradition and technology.

If we continue to allow a few lobbies to dictate the future of mobility in Goa, we risk losing far more than tourism revenue — we lose credibility as a modern state.

Tourism is the lifeblood of our economy. A state that refuses to make it easy for tourists to move around safely, affordably, and efficiently is not serious about its own growth.

To the taxi unions — change is uncomfortable, but stagnation is fatal. And to the government — stop being spectators. The people of Goa, and those who visit us with admiration and love, deserve better.

Let’s move forward — not with confrontation, but with collaboration.

Because the real journey Goa needs to take now is not down its scenic coastal roads — but into the future.