A few days back in a chat with George, who works as a taxi driver in South Goa, a surprising element of that conversation was his claim that most tourists prefer to use taxis with the meters turned off.
George, who spoke on behalf of many drivers, wanted us to believe that tourists, the foreign as well as domestic, preferred to hire a taxi after pre-determining the price.
“If we take a guest on a North Goa tour, with the meter on, the bill would probably come to around Rs 4,000 or something in that range. But, they prefer to negotiate and settle for around Rs 3,000. Why would we not want to use the meter when it is beneficial to us,” asked George.
The question that actually needed an answer is: why is it that drivers like George actually take clients for lower fares? Isn’t Rs 4,000 better than Rs 3,000?
There was a hue and cry when the government asked taxi drivers to install meters. Whatever the reason for the initial objections, now that meters have been installed, why are they not being used?
On one side of the spectrum are guests who complain that Goan taxi drivers are extortionists, and on the other, are some taxi drivers who want us to believe that it is guests who are against the meters.
There was a hue and cry when the government asked taxi drivers to install meters, but why aren't the meters being used now, after installation?
Honestly, this kind of mess isn’t surprising. It’s been cultivated over the years. In situations like these, loyalties shift easily, and now it’s the voter, the taxi driver in this case, who has begun to feel the pinch
George may be a good guy, and an even a better taxi driver, but he fails to drive in a simple point — why would someone accept less when it involves not only his livelihood, but that of his family?
If what George is saying is true, and this applies to all of them, then they need to answer why tourists want metered rides if taxi drivers gave them a better deal right from the beginning.
"Was there some truth to the claim that taxi meters were imposed abruptly to serve hidden interests? Perhaps a few individuals benefited quietly, but it's difficult to believe that most tourists actually prefer unmetered taxi travel. That assumption doesn’t quite hold up."
Tourists and locals are not up in arms against taxi drivers because they are just rude or ill-mannered. It is a case of money matters, and that is why the oscillation, and in the confusion, taxi drivers could be finding themselves taking the wrong steps.
Our taxi drivers were great ambassadors of Goa. Lovely acts of goodness from them still waft in the air, but sadly they are now being overpowered by greed. It took taxi drivers time to understand the intricate functioning of charter tourism and hence the bubbles of violence when charters started. Those strains can still be heard, though not as loud.
George and his colleagues have a point when they ask what are they supposed to do if they get no business from their hotel. But, it would be best if they ask themselves as to why have they reached this stage?
Looking back and looking forward, the plight of taxi drivers could be well understood by the words of American writer, E B White who wrote: “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”
