May 27, 2025:A delegation of Goa’s traditional taxi operators visited the office of Fatorda MLA and Goa Forward Party President, Vijai Sardesai, to express their strong grievances regarding the recently notified Goa Transport Aggregator Guidelines 2025, which were published in the Official Gazette on May 20.
After giving the operators a patient hearing, Vijai Sardesai voiced serious concern over the manner in which these guidelines were introduced without consulting key stakeholders. He reminded that during the last session of the Goa Legislative Assembly, there was a clear consensus that any major policy shift or regulatory change concerning the taxi business would involve stakeholder consultations. “This assurance given in the House has clearly been violated,” he said.
Criticising the government’s repeated failures in implementing transport-related reforms, Sardesai remarked, “The government earlier brought in meters, speed governors, GPS tracking devices — all of which failed. Only the suppliers of these devices and certain ministers profited. Are these new guidelines also aimed at benefiting ministers?”
He raised an important question on the unregulated entry of aggregators into Goa, stating, “There is no clarity on how many cab aggregators will be allowed. Aggregators from across India can now enter Goa. Is this the model of tourism we want?”
Highlighting the core of Goa’s identity and its tourism appeal, Sardesai asserted, “Tourists come to Goa for its unique identity and Goan hospitality. If tourism is handed over to outsiders, what remains of our identity? Traditional Goan taxi drivers — sons of the soil — know Goa best and must be the first beneficiaries of Goa’s tourism economy.”
However, he also cautioned that tourism services must remain affordable and competitive: “The cost of tourism services cannot become so inflated that tourists stop coming to Goa. We must strike a balance.”
Sardesai affirmed that the Goa Forward Party will study the published guidelines in detail and submit formal objections and suggestions in the interest of protecting Goan livelihoods and ensuring responsible tourism policy.
