Bye bye rogue cabbies in Goa

Tourists travelling along Goa's most popular beach stretch from Candolim to Baga will now be able to avail of a cheap bus service, thanks to the Kadamba Transport Corp (KTC), a state-run bus service.

Speaking to IANS, KTC chairman Carlos Almeida said a roll-on-roll-off service was the first in the kind to be introduced in Goa and would be of great help to tourists.

"The bus service will start this season. We have taken the local stakeholders into confidence. It will be a roll-on-roll-off service, the buses will pass on the route every few minutes," Almeida said.

The Candolim-Baga stretch is one of the most popular beaches in Goa, which stretches across beaches like Baga, Calangute, Candolim and Sinquerim.

The stretch, located 20-25 kms from here, has the most number of night clubs and a thronging nightlife.

Almeida says the huge number of tourists to this region would ensure that the route would be profitable enterprise.

"It's a win-win situation for tourists as well as us," Almeida said.

Goa's cabbies are notorious for overcharging, often to the tune of several hundred rupees for a couple of kilometers, even as the government has no machinery to enforce a regulated tariff.

Goa annually attracts over 2.5 million tourists, out of which half a million are foreigners.