Taxi policy still under review as state examines feedback

Panaji: The status of the taxi aggregator policy remains in limbo as state govt continues to scrutinise thousands of responses from stakeholders. Transport minister Mauvin Godinho on Thursday said govt is taking a cautious approach to avoid alienating either local taxi operators or the vital tourism sector.

“The taxi policy is not easy to form. We therefore do not want to force it. This is just a draft policy that is in the public domain,” Godinho said.

According to data obtained from the transport directorate, the Goa Transport Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, saw more than 4,000 taxi drivers across the state submit feedback on the draft guidelines. Of these, 3,590 were objections, while only 455 responses were in support of the policy.

The large volume of objections has prompted govt to tread carefully.

“We are still in the process of scrutinising the objections and suggestions. Once the review is complete, the revised draft will be forwarded to the state transport authority, which will conduct its own review and provide further recommendations before the policy is finalised,” he said.

Godinho admitted that balancing the interests of local taxi operators with the demands of Goa’s booming tourism industry remains a major challenge. “We do not want to hurt locals. However, we do not want to hurt Goa’s tourism sector either. The viral videos (criticising taxi operators in Goa) are evident. We have to figure out how to bridge that gap, which in itself is a challenge,” he said.

The minister also noted that the state now hosts “tourist numbers nearly 10 times its population”, with annual tourist footfall sometimes exceeding one crore visitors. This exponential growth has placed immense pressure on infrastructure and public services, including transport and waste management, he said.

The Goa Transport Aggregator Guidelines 2025, released earlier this year in draft form, aim to regulate app-based taxi services and address long-standing issues such as fare transparency, passenger safety, and competition among traditional and aggregator taxi operators. However, strong resistance from local taxi associations has led to delays in finalising the framework.