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Tourists taken for a ride by taxi drivers in Goa

Rajesh Rodrigues - Mumbai

A taxi ride of just 30 kilometres from any hotel in Goa to the beach could cost half as much as airfare from Mumbai to Goa. Taxi drivers here are known to fleece unsuspecting tourists stating astounding rates for even a short ride.

A general manager of a resort in Goa, under conditions of anonymity, said, "This is a continuous problem. Our guests have often complained about the extremely high charges by taxi drivers. Complaining to the government hasn't worked because they have a very strong association." Though taxis in Goa have meters, they are hidden from the passenger's view (circled in picture above). In providing jobs to the 'sons of the soil' the Goa government has granted licenses to many locals. But this has led to the presence of too many taxis on the roads.

Meanwhile, a taxi driver revealed, "We just get one or two passengers a day and we wait in the heat outside the hotel or resort for hours. Most of the times after dropping the passengers we have to drive back empty as we cannot pick passengers from another territory. That's the reason we charge the return fare too. So we have no option but to charge a little extra."

The fare charged differs from place to place and from hotel to hotel. If the taxi is waiting outside a five-star hotel, the charge could be about Rs 12 per kilometre.

The fare outside a three-star hotel could be Rs 10 per kilometre within the territory. The taxi driver added, "It's fair to charge them that high. If they can afford to stay in a five-star hotel, they can surely afford to pay us. We have to earn for monsoons too since there are hardly any tourists during that time."