App guidelines spur 1.7k feedback letters
Panaji:
The directorate of transport has received 1,750 letters of objection and suggestions in response to the recently notified Goa Transport Aggregator Guidelines, 2025. 'Govt will consider all feedback before finalising the regulations,' said the director of transport, Pravimal Abhishek.
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A recurring theme in the letters was that the scope of aggregators should be limited strictly to point-to-point pickup and drop services. They should not be allowed to operate or facilitate bookings for local sightseeing tours, event transportation, cruise bookings, and other specialised services traditionally handled by local operators.
Some drivers also pointed to practical challenges, such as poor mobile network coverage in certain areas and limited digital literacy among a segment of the workforce.
Others raised the need to revise the fare structure in the future in tandem with the increasing fuel costs.
Some drivers, however, expressed support for govt's initiative.
On Tuesday, the department of tourism called upon local taxi operators to integrate with state-backed digital taxi platforms such as the Goa Taxi App and GoaMiles. Both apps facilitated 70,000+ rides and onboarded 1,000+ drivers within just over a year, the director of tourism, Kedar Naik, said.
'We urge all Goan taxi brothers to come onboard and make use of this free, govt-supported platform designed to benefit them,' he said.
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