No Uber and Ola in Goa. What alternatives do you have?

While planning for my vacation in Goa, I was looking for a feasible mode of transportation during my stay, and that's when the jaw dropping revelation struck me. No cab aggregator services like Uber or Ola is present in the state. The fact that Goa being one of India's prominent tourist destination and the unavailability of these services urged me to dig deep into it. Ola and Uber is available in every other major city in India and has a very huge ridership so, its not the question whether Goa's market is fit it not. 

Goa's rock strong taxi union is totally against letting Uber/Ola penetrate it's market. The Union claims that the livelihood of many will be lost if services like Uber and Ola is brought into the state. By maintaining monopoly they get to decide on the fare and the services. The old-fashioned taxi drivers rob users by charging exorbitantly. Also, according to the old system, the riders will be charged the return fare too. Uber and Ola doesn't do this; that's how they end up being cheaper.

Prepaid taxi's with government fixed rates are available in major locations like railway stations, bus stands, etc. Know the government taxi rates. This is the only relief for does who are dependent on taxi services. The problem is that it's not found everywhere. The taxi divers in the city will charge very high, usually around 1000Rs for a distance of about 15km. It will take a lot of bargaining to bring down the price. Governments attempt to mandate meter pricing for taxi's didn't work out well because of the strong opposition by the union.

Alternatives available

Few online taxi service providers are available with decent prices. The only problem is that these providers does not allow instant booking like how you do with Uber. they have to be pre-booked online by providing details like pick-up point, drop-off place, date and time and journey. This is preferred for scheduled trips. Check these taxi service providers - CabsinGoa, HereCabs.com, GoaCabs. The fare for the journey will displayed after inputting the required details. The sites does not accept online payments and the fare can be directly given to the driver. Some of these also provide car rental services.

Price for renting a scooter starts from 350rs and bikes will start from 500rs, for 24 hours.

The best alternative for tourists is renting a bike. Goa has a diverse bike rental service and it can be found in every corner of the street. Price for a scooter starts from 350rs and bikes will start from 500rs, for 24 hours. The price will fluctuate depending on the model and its age. In Goa, it is not mandatory for the rental service providers to be a registered company, thus allowing individuals to enter the business thereby keeping the price low. All registered rent a bikes will have a black number place with the registration number in yellow. Petrol bunkers are very scarce in the state and residents has made it into a business. Petrol can be bought from homes and every day stores. Keep your eyes open for bottles filled with petrol displayed outside stores. They charge 20-30rs higher per liter than market rate. Make sure to always wear a helmet because Goa police have the habit of preying tourists.

If you don't know to drive, then the only alternative available is the bus. Bus services are not so developed in Goa. Most of the buses are small mini-buses that are always cramped up and wont give a pleasant journey. Also, buses take the maze route to cater more riders; a major share of time will be spend in buses.

Multiple attempts were made to bring cab aggregator providers into the state but every attempt were shelved by taxi unions. Ola tried to enter the market in 2013 but couldn't go through it. A petition filed by a Goan resident in 2017 is gaining momentum on change.org could be the answer. As of now, There is no Ola or Uber to depend on in Goa.