Goa government, on Monday, announced the launch of state’s first app-based taxi service GoaMiles. This will bring relief to the Goan people and tourists in the state, facing the issue of transportation.
Since cab aggregators Ola and Uber have been kept out of Goa for regulatory reasons, the state had been riling under the private cab operators with reports of cabs running without meters, overcharging customers, and harassing tourists. This initiative by the Goa government is set to bring relief to enable tourism in the coastal state.
Talking at the launch, Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa, said, “Today, taxi business does not realise its full potential. The requirement of taxis will increase two to three times. People will even stop using their cars as taxis would be easily available. The taxis will charge government approved rates,”.
GoaMiles, an initiative of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), provides an app-based platform for customers to book cabs online. With GPS-enabled cabs, the arrival and routes of the cabs can be tracked in real-time and the customers also have the option to make digital payments, removing the hassle of cash.
The app is available on both Android and iOS devices. There are over 60,000 registered users with 350 taxis on the platform already.
This new initiative doesn’t just bring benefits for the customers but will also help the cab drivers, providing them with customers in nearby locations through the app, thereby increasing their earnings without having to scout for customers.
Frotamiles Private Limited, the company operating GoaMiles, is also focusing on women safety by providing women taxi service, which provides women taxi driver exclusively for women passengers. There will also be a ‘panic button’ in the app, that will further ensure the safety of the passengers. Along with these measures, GTDC will be performing constant checks to make sure the drivers are following all the rules and regulations.