Goa gets its very own women taxis

Goa Tourism decided to take this step forward to cater to women tourists and residents in the State. In the past, the issue of taxi services had often threatened to stall the progress of tourism in Goa and the government initiated this move to slowly eliminate it.

Manohar Parrikar said at the launch, “The initiative taken up by Goa Tourism is good, this will give a new career direction to women. Private companies should take note and hire women, thus creating jobs for women. Goa must also go for 100% metering in all taxis. Meter implementation will start from next year where the initial meters may be at a subsidized cost. Meters will help tourists and prevent embarrassment to Goans due to some unruly taxi drivers, even though many drivers in Goa are honest”.

These taxis will be driven by lady drivers who are trained in self defense, soft skills, first-aid and have knowledge of tourist spots, thus doubling up as tourist guides to their passengers when needed.

The drivers are groomed in basic etiquette, personal hygiene and customer relations to ensure a positive experience.

The cars will be equipped with GPS monitoring system which supports a panic alert button backed by the back office.

A detailed study has also been done on route assessment and journey planning for popular routes.

This project will also ensure respectable employment opportunities for local women who come from marginalized and resource poor communities and families.

To begin with the project, 10 brand new air-conditioned taxis will be available to ply to and from the airport, hotels, railway stations and bus terminals and will be stationed at GTDC residencies.

The number of taxis will be increased based on demand.

The taxi fares will be government approved, which will be at a nominal rate.

The salient features includes--  Display of driver identity on the dashboard,  First electronic fare meters with digital receipt print-outs in the State, Fare payment option through Card / Cash, Portable fire extinguishers & first aid kit, Monitoring of cab movement at all times by the central control room, Emergency panic button in the cab and Prominent display of emergency contact numbers. One can avail the service by contacting the call centre on 0832 – 2437 437.

Minister of Transport Ramakrishna alias Sudin Dhavalikar, Minister of Tourism Dilip Parulekar, MLA & Chairman - GTDC Ltd Nilesh Cabral, Principal Secretary (Tourism) R. K. Srivastava, Principal Secretary (Transport & PWD) Parimal Rai, Director General of Police  T. N. Mohan, Director of Tourism Ameya Abhyankar, Director of Transport Arun Desai and Managing Director, GTDC Ltd Nikhil Desai also graced the occasion.