Ola and Uber will not come to Goa, says CM Pramod Sawant

App-based cab services like Ola and Uber will not be allowed in Goa, said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday, reported The Indian Express.
The announcement came after taxi operators in the state and some MLAs raised concerns about the Goa Transport Aggregator Guidelines, which were published in the gazette on May 20. The guidelines outline the framework to regulate app-based taxi and bike taxi operators through licensing fees, tariffs and incentives.
Taxi unions fear this will enable the entry of app-based cab services in the state.
'People should not create confusion,' Sawant was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. 'These are the guidelines brought out for aggregators. Ola and Uber are not coming here. We have to put a system in place.'
The Goa chief minister added that the government would 'take all the stakeholders – taxi owners, hoteliers and MLAs – everyone into confidence' to resolve the matter.
The state transport department had invited feedback and objections to the guidelines within 30 days, The Indian Express reported.
On June 9, hundreds of taxi drivers submitted formal objections at the department's Panaji office.
Scroll has previously reported on the state government's efforts to introduce app-based taxis, which were met with protests.
Taxi unions argue that the conflict over app-based services boils down to a question of employment for locals and that allowing large corporations with deep pockets to launch services in the state will result in 'outsiders' taking away jobs from the locals.

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