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Goa Miles, the cab aggregator, will continue to function from Mopa Airport. A good decision from the government that has rejected the demand of the taxi operators not to allow app-based cabs to function from the Mopa airport. It leads to the question: why not from Dabolim airport, too?
Dabolim is currently servicing a large number of passengers, so shouldn’t it, too, have the same taxi service as the new airport at Mopa?
The opposition to web-based taxi aggregators by traditional cabs in Goa is not new, it has been ongoing for years. It is not unlike other parts of the country which saw similar protests when app-based companies made their entrance in those cities.
Yet, what also changed in these other states is that, in certain cases, the traditional taxi operators saw the advantages of the web-based aggregator model and decided to adapt to it. Shouldn’t this happen in Goa, too?
Yet, what also changed in these other states is that, in certain cases, the traditional taxi operators saw the advantages of the web-based aggregator model and decided to adapt to it. Shouldn’t this happen in Goa, too?
Goa’s tourism industry depends on the seamless transportation of its visitors from Point A to Point B. Currently and very practically, the public transport system in Goa does not meet the demands of the tourism industry, forcing the visitors to depend on taxis and autorickshaws.
What came to the rescue of a significant number of tourists was the rent-a-vehicle system that Goa adopted, where self-driven two-wheelers and four-wheelers could be hired for the day or the duration of the holiday.
Unlike other tourism areas, where such a vehicle hire system is run by companies and under an organised system, here in Goa, the owner of a vehicle can get it registered for the service, install the yellow and black registration plates and put it up for hire.
There is no large company dominating this, and the rent-a-vehicle business is individual or family-run in most cases.
Traditional taxi operators already face competition from the rent-a-vehicle business, and added to that, they now see further challenges from the app-based taxi operations. But, there is a difference that needs to be appreciated.
Traditional taxi operators already face competition from the rent-a-vehicle business, and added to that, they now see further challenges from the app-based taxi operations. But, there is a difference that needs to be appreciated.
To understand how the aggregator business works, the company is merely a facilitator. It is the drivers who are the owners of the cabs and not the company that runs the aggregator service.
It is, therefore, the owner of the cab, who still remains in full ownership of the business, having also to deal with maintenance, wear and tear of the vehicle.
He gets rides from the aggregator and is paid the standard fare for the distance, while the aggregator gets a commission on each fare that it provides to the cab.
Now, what makes the app-based services attractive to the people is that there is a low base fare, unlike the fact that with the traditional operators in Goa, one has to bargain, which does not often lead to a favourable deal.
It is also practical for, if a person can call a cab and be picked up from where he is standing on the road and pay a standard fare, wouldn’t it be preferable to having to search for a taxi stand, negotiate the rate and then enter the cab?
What is required is for the traditional operators to adopt the new system. It can be done as simply as getting enrolled with the aggregator, still holding ownership rights of the vehicle and sitting behind the wheel. It is only the manner of getting rides that changes.
Yet, it is a fact that app-based taxi aggregators do have the upper hand and that the traditional taxi operators will face tough competition. Elsewhere, it has been seen that the aggregator business has edged out the traditional taxi operators.
What is required is for the traditional operators to adopt the new system. It can be done as simply as getting enrolled with the aggregator, still holding ownership rights of the vehicle and sitting behind the wheel. It is only the manner of getting rides that changes.
Traditional taxi operators need to understand that the aggregator model can lead to an expansion of their business and operations at a much faster pace than the current method they are employing. It could be a situation that is beneficial to the operators as well as to those commuters who use the taxis.
Here it is pertinent to note that the cabs, should they have reasonably priced fares, may be used by local residents too and not just tourists. This could drastically increase the number of people using cabs in Goa to commute within the state, from town to town or village.
It is time to look at the future and app-based taxi services are the future.
