Panaji: Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s GoaMiles Taxi service has been creating buzz in the State. The promoters of this service claim that they have been receiving around 2,000 calls a day for the ride from across the State.
The biggest response has been from the people living around Panaji city in North and at the Airport from South Goa.
The service has been facing initial hiccups, but the promoters are
“We have a fleet of 310 vehicles which is spread across the State. The App has been getting good response with an average of 2,000 people inquiring through the mobile application,” Utkarsh Dabhale, Managing Director, GoaMiles said.
The newly-introduced concept has almost 78-80 per cent of its booking for long trips while 20-22 per cent are for smaller duties. Dabhale said they have been able to cater to 10-11 per cent of the inquiries, while rest of them are humbly requested with “sorry” message.
The taxi service, which has sent shivers down the spine of taxi mafia has been going through its initial issues. To worsen, there are many cancellations due to current traffic jam witnessed on Zuari Bridge and surrounding areas.
The management of GoaMiles has decided to take it slow and steady. “It is better to say sorry and refuse to service then to create mess by involving too many taxis in the initial point,” Dabhale said.
The App-based taxi operators feels that this is the time for them to stabilise their venture before they enter the crucial tourist season starting from October month.
“Knowingly, we have kept the fleet small and we will increase it day-by-day,” he said.