Panaji:
Several hundred tourist taxis, including yellow and black cabs operating at Goa’s airport, stayed off roads on Friday to protest against the state governments refusal to accept their demand to scrap an app- based service.
A large number of tourists were stranded at hotels as taxi operators refused to ferry them to the Dabolim airport, around 40km from Panaji, and various railway stations.
Earlier this week, the government had refused to accept the demand of tourist taxi unions to scrap app-based cab service GoaMiles, which is backed by the state-run Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC).
According to taxi unions, GoaMiles is adversely affecting their business.
“We have remained off roads to protest against the governments action of not scrapping GoaMiles. The protest is symbolic, Vinayak Nanoskar, a taxi union leader, said.
He said all tourist taxis, numbering more than 25,000, stayed off roads in the coastal state, where tourism is a major business activity.
“Yellow and black cabs, which operate from the Dabolim airport, have also joined us, he said.
