Tourist taxi strike: TTAG offers alternative transport

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The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) gears up for the proposed strike by tourist taxi operators on Friday, and assure its members of extending help with regards to their transport requirements for guests on that day. It has also asked stakeholders to let it know about their needs in this regard. This will be the third tourist taxi strike since 2012.

“TTAG has spoken to Drishti Marine to arrange for ferry service to transport guests from the airport to Panaji and Verem,” assures Savio Messias, President, TTAG.  TTAG will set up help desks in North and South Goa to help tourists who may be inconvenienced by the strike.

Black and yellow taxis, rickshaws, motorcycle pilots have not announced their support to the strike yet. “The day-long strike announced by the tourist taxi operators on January 19 is illegal. The government would be taking strict action if taxi operators took law into their hands,” says the Goa Transport Department. “The government has supported tourist taxi operators fully over the last few years, but they are still going on strike without giving notice to the government. Therefore, we are considering the strike as illegal,” says Sudin Dhavalikar, the state Transport Minister. The minister also assured that around 1,000 buses would be deployed to tide over the strike.