Goemkapronn desk
VASCO: State transport authority member and Councillor Vinod Kinlekar on Wednesday raised objections on rent-a-car operations at Dabolim Airport.
Kinlekar speaking to reporters, also demanded action against rent-a-car operations from police and other authorities.
“It is sad to see that the taxi operators are struggling for buisness at the Goa airport while rent-a-car operators occupy one part of the parking right outside the airport. We have no objection against any buisness, but we have seen that private cars are also being given on rent, which is affecting other businesses,” he said.
He said the airport is crowded during peak hours, and these cars create further congestion and traffic jams. This cannot be tolerated and must not be allowed at the Goa airport.
“Rent-a-car operators must function from their offices and must have their own parking, but these cars come to the airport and function from here, which is illegal,” he said.
Kinlekar says the business must be fair for all stakeholders, and ideally, a passenger who has booked a rent-a-car for him or his family must take a taxi from here to their office, but this is not happening.
“This practice is eating at the taxi buisness because passengers get rent-a-car upon arrival, and the authorities must act on it. These rent-a-car operators don’t offer free service to the passengers at the airport, and they charge rs 500 to 1000 for delivering their rent-a-car to the customer at the Goa airport from their offices,” said Kinlekar
“If this practice is stopped, the passenger can hire a taxi to their office, and this will ensure that taxi operator also get good business while rent-a-car operators also get buisness,” he said.
He added that Private cars and bikes must not be allowed on rent, which clearly violates the law.
“The authorities must act on this immediately because these rent-a-car operators don’t seem to use the office they show while taking their permits. These operators don’t even have their own parking, and these cars eat up on limited parking available for others,” he says.
