On May 20 the Goa transport department notified the draft Goa Transport Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, with a view “to regulate aggregators” under the Motor Vehicle Act and called on “persons likely to be affected” to submit any objections within a period of 30 days of the publications.

For Goa’s taxi cab operators, who have, for long, cartelised and vigorously defended their dominance of the tourist taxi trade in the state, this was a move they feared was coming, but one which they have decided to fight nonetheless.

Across the week, tourist taxi operators lined up outside the transport department office to file their objections to the draft guidelines. Besides this, delegations have been calling on local MLAs, ministers and opposition leaders to demand scrapping of the guidelines.

But the response has been lukewarm at best. Revenue minister Atanasio Monserrate bluntly told one delegation that he was “with them” but he would back the government’s policy and that they should “try [it] for sometime”.

“I am there with you all but I have certain reservations. But since the government wants to bring this app, why don’t you try for some time, if it doesn’t work, then I will stand with y’all to help you,” Monserrate told a delegation of taxi operators.

Michael Lobo, MLA from the Calangute constituency, considered the epicentre of Goa’s beach tourism industry, once a staunch supporter of the taxi lobby has noticeably softened his stance. During a meeting with the taxi operators Lobo was insistent that the operators would have to at least come to the negotiating table.

“According to me there has to be transparency. There is no compromise on transparency. Fares can’t be based on quotes or negotiations. The business should not be taken over by somebody else. Let there be a digital, let it be in their name,” Lobo said after the meeting. In him and other coastal belt MLAs, the taxi lobbies have had their staunchest supporters so far. That the acrimonious meeting ended with the taxi delegation refusing to pay heed to Lobo’s pleas is indicative that things might be different this time.

Opposition support

Where the taxi operators did find support was with the opposition parties. The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have both decided to back the cab aggregators.

“This government has failed with regards to the tourism policy... What we see in Goa, the decline in tourism is because of the failure of the government and today they are pointing towards (blaming) our taxi........

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