Ola and Uber are one of the most popular online cab services in India having millions of users. In these four years of their arrival, they are a huge hit among masses. Uber in India has surpassed almost 500 million rides and Ola having the biggest turnaround ever in the online cab market nationwide.
Then what’s with Goa? Goa is one of the busiest tourist destinations. According to reports in the year 2016-2017 2,32,679, no of tourists have arrived in Goa. No doubt that the lovely beaches and scenic beauties attract people nationwide. But why do Ola and Uber has no presence in Goa?
The reason being the Taxi Unions!
You can get a hint that the black and yellow taxis are the only way to roam around as soon as you land in the airport. You will be surrounded by thousands of taxi drivers inviting you to take the ride! These cabs are a part of a strong workers union that allows them to charge exorbitant rates at no mercy of the rider.
Kushagra Gandhi, New Delhi resident and frequent Goa traveler said,
“Ola and Uber are convenient for point-to-point travel in Delhi. Whenever I visit Goa, I am faced with the wrath of local taxis that charge exorbitant prices that put me off budget immediately. In fact, most of them charge upwards of 600 rupees for a 15-20 km ride around town.”
Dakshil Shah another traveler states that he has experienced cases of drinking and driving by local taxis. He said,
“Whenever I am in cities like Delhi and Mumbai, I usually take an Ola or Uber back from parties where I know I will be drinking. Goa doesn’t offer the same convenience and it’s usually a decision between ditching plans or having a sober friend around. It’s a real dampener.”
Transport Minister of Goa, Sudin Dhavalikar, stated that no matter what Ola and Uber services won’t be allowed in the state. Though his counterparts seem to be offended about this and BJP leaders, including Nilesh Cabral, admits and agrees that this online services should make their presence in Goa soon!
Mahesh Sardesai, whose petition to bring Ola, Uber and other taxi aggregator apps went viral earlier this year, said,
“The root cause is some MLAs are dependent on taxi drivers’ vote bank. There could be other possibilities like current administration owning fleets of taxis. Since the liberation of Goa, in 1961, I don’t recall taxis ever using meters. They charge roughly four times what Ola, Uber charge in Mumbai for same distance although petrol prices are less in Goa, and the cost of living is not too high either.”
It’s the monopoly business of the unions and local goons that won’t let this happen soon! There are many states in India that have local Taxi unions irrespective of the presence of Ola and Uber!
Goa is the place most visited by foreigners. Uber’s recent reports suggest that almost 5,00,000 foreigners took an Uber ride in India last year. Though there are some online local cab reservation services available in Goa. But that doesn’t satisfy the needs and cut down huge profits Ola and Uber can actually get!
Uber India stated:
“We are confident that ride-sharing is going to be the future of urban mobility and we will be focusing our energies a lot more in helping build awareness on its benefits for riders, drivers, and cities. In this context, we are committed to engaging with the Goa government to determine the ways in which we can contribute to moving Goa forward”
Ola chose not to comment on this situation!
