I had the fortune to travel to this beautiful State of Goa several times in the last 15 years for recreational purposes. I have travelled the length and breadth of this exotic place, have been to all Beaches, popular and secluded, popular shacks and clubs, to various Churches and Monuments. This place is a treasure trove of beautiful spots and locations still to be discovered by tourists and travelers from all over the world.
Now to move around one needs some form of commutation service, What options do Goa offers?:
- Local Buses : Bus Routes are quite extensive, buses move from major Bus terminals in Panjim, Vasco & Madgao to various places in Goa. Pros of buses are cheap and one can enjoy the journey in a non monotonous way. Cons are Buses are not available to all spots and beaches, one has to wait a lot.
- Black/Yellow Autos: Can be found everywhere specially near the Railways stations & Airports. They do not run on Meters and charge hefty/As per the driver’s whims. They are cut throat at most times. But occasionally one finds a good-fair one.
- Local Taxis: Run by Taxi Associations, they have their fixed rates but still these rates are often not followed and mostly they fleece a lot. Like from the Dabolim Airport a Pre Paid Taxi would charge Rs. 50 per KM, so even to travel let say 6 KMs, one has to pay up Rs. 300. Also they often do not follow the set rates and charge what they wish depending upon the time of the day. At nights it is often quite difficult to find them.
- Self driven Scooties & Cars : Charged per day basis, to be self driven, no wonder most tourists prefer these due to the freedom they offer.
It has been a year and half that Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) have introduced a Cab booking app by the name Goa Miles. They charge Rs. 22/KM. One has to download the app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Verify your local mobile number through an OTP. Payment is digitally preferred but if one keeps minimum Rs. 200 in the Goa Miles Wallet, Cash payments are also accepted. This app is very convenient just like other Cab Aggregators Apps like Uber & Ola. They never fleece. Cars are clean & new, self driven by owners mostly. Drivers are very cordial and courteous. Also if one cancels a ride, payment is refunded in the Goa Miles Wallet. They have options for Sedans & bigger Cars too. Also they have now started a new feature called Package where one can book a car for long duration (6 or 8 or 12 hours) and long distances. Their connectivity is amazing at most places in Goa. One can book from Airports and Railways Stations too. Their rates are fixed. Yes sometimes due to less availability of cars rates differ a little though not like the extreme surge charges applied by Uber or Ola in major cities of India. Use this and know for yourself. Make them popular. I am currently using Goa Miles app a lot, whenever i do not feel like driving. I will put up their download link below:
Google Play Store : GOAMILES
Apple App Store : GOAMILES
GoaMiles Website : https://goamiles.com/
