It has been reported that Pramod Sawant, the chief minister of Goa, has given assurances that cab aggregators such as Ola and Uber will be banned in the state.

This decision comes even though the state government notified the draft Goa Transport Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, requesting suggestions and objections.

The draft guidelines present a regulatory framework for app-based taxi and bike taxi operators, covering aspects such as licensing fees, tariffs, and incentives.

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As per a report by TOI, Sawant provided the assurance under pressure from MLAs representing the coastal belt.

There have been calls for the state government to suspend the guidelines and establish a system for taxi operators.  The MLAs instructed the government to create a reliable system for uniform taxi fares.

“It should be clear to everyone that this is merely a guideline for aggregators.  Ola and Uber do not operate in this area.  We will involve all stakeholders, such as hotels, taxis, and MLAs, to establish a system.  This issue will be resolved by us.  In the report, Sawant was quoted as saying, “All should remain calm.”

According to the guidelines, only aggregators who obtain a license from the Goa government would be allowed to operate across the entire state.

Any aggregator that has a registered office in Goa can obtain a licence, which is valid for three years from the date it is issued and should be renewed every three years thereafter.

“It should be clear to everyone that this is merely a guideline for aggregators.  Ola and Uber do not operate in this area.  We will involve all stakeholders, such as hotels, taxis, and MLAs, to establish a system.  This issue will be resolved by us.  In the report, Sawant was quoted as saying, “All should remain calm.”

Moreover, the guidelines specified that a valid and enforceable contract should be established with the drivers, in accordance with the jurisdiction for dispute resolution within the state.

This year, regulatory pressure has been applied to ride-hailing giants like Ola and Uber regarding their differential pricing for Android and iPhone users.

Earlier this year, Pralhad Joshi, the minister of consumer affairs, stated that the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) had issued notices to two cab aggregators for showing different fares for the same rides on Android and iOS devices. The platforms have denied these allegations.

It is worth mentioning that in February, the auto and cab drivers union of Chennai, Urimaikural Ottunar Thozhirsangam (Urimaikural drivers trade union), declared an indefinite boycott of Ola and Uber due to high commissions on daily rides.

In response, the platforms recently adopted zero-commission models.

In March of this year, the Centre announced the launch of a new state-backed ride-hailing service called ‘Sahkar Taxi’, aimed at competing with the existing market leaders in the ride-hailing space.  With this platform, drivers would have complete control over their earnings, without any commission deductions by third-party services.

It is important to highlight that the Karnataka High Court ruled in April that bike taxi service providers such as Ola, Uber, and Rapido had six weeks to stop their services.  Subsequently, Ramalinga Reddy, the transport minister of Karnataka, instructed officials from his department to implement the High Court’s directive to suspend bike taxi services in the state.

A division bench of the Karnataka HC, in a recent development, refused to suspend the order until the state government issues a comprehensive policy for regulating the services, earlier this week.