Travelling in and around Goa has received a new boost with the launch of Goa’s first and exclusive Taxi App ‘’GOAMILES’’. The new Taxi app was launched by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa, Mr. Manohar Parrikar, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism Mr. Manohar Ajgaonkar; Hon’ble Chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) and Mr. Nilesh Cabral along with other dignitaries at the Secretariat Complex, Porvorim today.
The new app is aimed at bringing a transparency into the Taxi services in the state of Goa by providing a convient and time saving option to the tourists visiting Goa. The new taxi app will enable them to book, monitor and pay through a single mobile app. Tracking is also made easy for passengers to be able to track the location of the ride with real time as well as past and current bookings.
Emphasis has been laid on safety with driver and vehicle details shared with the passengers before boarding the taxi. An in-built ‘’PANIC’’ button will further ensure safety of passengers isn’t compromised.
Speaking at the launch, Mr. Parrikar said, “Goa can now take tourists for miles through the new app based taxi service which will be affordable and give travellers a comfortable journey from the time they arrive till they leave. I congratulate Goa Tourism for launching this initiative and wish them a huge success.”
Adding to this, Mr. Azgaonkar stated, “ The launch of the app based taxi service in Goa will bring a revolutionary change in the transportation system for all stakeholders including taxi drivers, tourists and locals. I am confident that tourist taxi drivers across Goa will join this digital system so that Goa does not lag behind other states where such systems are working successfully.”
Further elaborating about the advantages of this initiative, Mr. Cabral opined, “We have launched a public information campaign to reach out to one million people in Goa to create awareness about GOAMILES. We are anticipating a huge response from the general public who will download and use the app for tourism purposes and daily commute as well. This app based taxi service aims to boost the digital economy, enable ease of travel for tourists and give taxi drivers better income. This initiative offers not only a brand new customer experience, but also makes taxi fare payment easy and secure.” He further explained that the app is one of the most quickest and convenient systems being implemented for the first time making Goan taxi drivers partners in the digital system while giving amazing customer experience to tourists.
The successful bidders for GTDC’s taxi app PITASYS Software Pvt Ltd have created a Special Purpose Vehicle to manage the app as per the tender requirement. PITASYS Software Pvt. Ltd. is in the transport automation business for the last 7 years and has expertise in transport sector domains like mass transportation, fleet/taxi aggregation and employee transportation. Currently its registered passenger user base is more than 60,000.
GOAMILES will also make sure that the taxi drivers will benefit equally by not charging anything from their revenues, as against the popular trend seen elsewhere in India and the world. The same mobile app can also be used for taxi, insurance purposes and finding business nearest to the driver’s location thereby ensuring that every driver earns. Income report would be generated in the app itself, whereas there will be an equal distribution of business amongst local Goan drivers so that they can earn more by serving more which will motivate them to work.
Do’s & Don’ts are set up for drivers which will be monitored by GTDC through random checks and balances physically & digitally. Reports to reprimand the defaulters would help in ensuring and maintaining high level of customer satisfaction.
Here’s how the cab works after a booking is made;
Set your pickup location (E.g. Home, Office, Airport, Railway station, current location, etc.)
Set your Drop Location (E.g. Home, Office, Airport, Railway station, to be dropped) etc
See all available cabs/taxis near your location being displayed on the map
Multiple ways to pay: Pay in cash or via multiple cashless options online like Debit card, Credit card, BHIM, UPI
Pick the type of vehicle you want & tap ‘CONFIRM’
You will be able to see the type of vehicle along with the rates for your easy selection and opt for the one best suited for you
Get instant confirmation with trip details like Driver name, Vehicle number, Type of Vehicle. The OTP to be given to the driver in the app itself
Track your cab in real time with Arrival time and Drop time when you give the OTP to your driver
Invoices history can be seen immediately in “MY RIDES” after you finish your trip & previous trips would be stored below the current one
Know Fares & Ride features: Check fares & various features of a ride category before booking
Share: Share the ride details with your near & dear ones.