In a recent incident, a GoaMiles car carrying passengers was reportedly stopped by a taxi driver who demanded that they opt for a local cab instead. The confrontation, captured on camera and circulating on social media, shows passengers questioning the necessity of canceling their Rs 300 ride with the state-operated app-based cab service in favor of a local taxi, which typically charges more than three times the fare.
“Why should we cancel our ride and switch to a local taxi?” one passenger can be heard asking in the video. “You’re asking for Rs 1,000 for a ride that costs only Rs 300. How is that fair?”
As the video gained traction online, more tourists shared similar encounters with what they described as the “taxi mafia” in Goa.
This is really shocking, and something has to be really done about this. https://t.co/9JUerA4Te9
— androguru.com (India’s #1 Android Website) (@AndroGuru) April 8, 2024
“We experienced the same situation. The GoaMiles driver sped up to evade the local taxi operators. It felt like we were in a race,” commented one user.
In a related incident from 2018, a GoaMiles driver allegedly faced harassment and assault by the taxi mafia outside a luxury hotel in Arpora. An FIR was registered against “10-15 persons who are taxi operators or drivers,” making it the first case filed by a GoaMiles driver against other taxi operators, as reported by the Times of India.
The driver reported that after picking up a passenger who had booked a ride via the app, he was obstructed by a group of taxi operators/drivers who hurled abuse and threats at him.
The Goa government introduced the GoaMiles app in August 2018. Since its launch, drivers associated with the app have encountered resistance and intimidation from the taxi mafia.
